This quirky surf world of ours is filled with an array of peculiar events, from costumed contests like the Single Fin Hoedown in Florida, to longboard contests with funky names like the Duct Tape Invitational or the Diva Cup, to collective recaps of legendary rides like Hawaii’s Wave of the Winter, and the international Big Wave Challenge.
But perhaps the weirdest of all is the annual soft top party wave gathering at Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad, CA, known as “Slamarack”. If you’re young and supple, and all hyped on JOB style surf spoofs, this one is for you. If you’re in your more advanced years, say, over 25, this one’s best enjoyed from the beach or the safety of your phone.
This year proved even more wild thanks to social media hype from Kookslams, the Instagram account that threads the needle of the surf community via viral wipeouts and original content. The exact number of willing kooks is hard to say but there were certainly hundreds of surfers in the water with many people paddling together on every wave.
“Slamarack has always been this beloved, slightly chaotic Carlsbad tradition, and this year Kookslams helped turn it into something that felt bigger than ever. We promoted it leading up to the day, worked with locals to get the word out, and on the day of, got tagged in over 50 stories from people at the beach.”
On the fun scale, I’d say this ranks somewhere between Type II and III, depending on your age and how bad you get hurt. Hell, if you’re young enough and come out unscathed, then Slamarack is Type I fun–one kid even compared it to Christmas.
If you made out with some minor cuts and bruises, well, then you could call it Type II fun. If you got wrecked, which many people did, then you’re talking about Type III fun…but I’m not sure that getting slammed in the face by an oncoming stampede of soft tops counts as a good story.
For Kookslams, it’s all in a days work, “Seeing Kookslams merch in the crowd and then putting out a recap edit really cemented us as part of the event’s identity. It showed how we can be a visible, cultural presence at grassroots surf happenings — and that’s something we’re excited to keep building on.”