Dogs will paddle out on surfboards at Del Mar Dog Beach this Sunday for the 21st annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon, a competition that pits pups against each other in the waves to raise money for animals waiting to be adopted. The event begins at 8 a.m., with competing dogs sorted into five weight classes ranging from 1 to 20 pounds up to 86 pounds and beyond, and participants are asked to arrive early to check in before their heats.
The fundraiser benefits Helen Woodward Animal Center, according to NBC Los Angeles, whose reporting on the 2026 event details the weight-class structure and the exhibitors, agility courses, and costume contest that round out the day. The center itself notes that organizers have tightened up safety protocols this year, restricting water access to three-person teams made up of a handler, a center flagger, and a retriever, according to Helen Woodward Animal Center. Those measures are part of the event's safety protocols.
How the Judging Works
How the Judging Works Judges evaluate each dog, with the top finishers in each weight class advancing to a final Best-In-Surf heat, per the same Helen Woodward Animal Center listing. Beyond the weight-class heats, the event features a Freestyle Surf competition open to multi-dog teams or human-canine tandems known as Peeps & Pups, plus a 2026 Canine Costume Contest. All freestyle surfers, the center notes, are required to wear dog flotation vests, and competing dogs across the board wear life vests while on their boards, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Getting a dog ready to ride a wave doesn't happen overnight. Helen Woodward Animal Center partnered with SoCal Surf Dogs to run summer surf lessons at Del Mar Dog Beach in 2025, starting with life-vest fitting and board balance on land before moving into shallow-water wave practice, according to Fido Friendly Magazine. NBC Los Angeles reports that this year's competing dogs have been practicing with their humans in recent weeks ahead of Sunday's heats.
Leash Rules Shift Right After the Competition
Spectators heading to the beach should know the timing lines up with seasonal changes in local leash rules. Del Mar's beach rules vary by location: off-leash dogs are permitted between 29th Street and the Solana Beach border from the day after Labor Day through June 15, while the area between Powerhouse Park and 29th Street is leash-only in the off-season and closed to dogs from June 16 through Labor Day, according to P.S. Platinum. The seasonal rules are relevant to this year's Surf-A-Thon.
The beach itself has had its share of drama beyond the surf contest. In March, a large section of sandstone bluff collapsed onto the shoreline at Del Mar Dog Beach, prompting an emergency response before officials confirmed no visitors were hurt, as Hoodline previously reported.
Why the Fundraiser Matters
Helen Woodward Animal Center, founded in Rancho Santa Fe in 1972, is a private no-kill nonprofit that serves more than 90,000 people and 10,000 animals a year through adoption, education, and therapeutic programs. The center's work includes adoption, education, and therapeutic programs.
That work highlights the practical purpose behind events like the Surf-A-Thon. The event raises funds for pets and programs. Sunday's event, complete with its agility courses and other exhibitors, supports the center's animal-welfare work one wave at a time.
