Surfers Get Their Wish at Trestles

Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, pro surfing’s world champion in 1978, says a World Championship Tour stop at Trestles has been on the surfers’ “wish list” since he was competing.

“Who would have thought it would take until the year 2000 to get it done,” said Bartholomew, now CEO/president of the Assn. of Surfing Professionals.

The Billabong Pro begins today at Lower Trestles, just south of San Clemente, with a list of competitors that includes the top 44 pros in the world and wild cards Kelly Slater, a six-time world champion, and Australian sensation Joel Parkinson, who some think might be the next Slater.

“The people around here are going to get a chance to see the best surfing in the history of Trestles,” said Australian Luke Egan, ranked No. 2 in the world and chasing Hawaiian Sunny Garcia.

They’re apparently not going to see the best surf in the long and storied history of what is arguably Southern California’s best break, however.

“It’s going to be extremely small throughout most of this week,” said Sean Collins, surf forecaster with Huntington Beach-based Surfline.

How small?

“You don’t want to know,” he said. “Knee high to waist high at best. But Friday and Saturday, there should be a little increase, a two- to three-foot southwest swell that will push some sets up to shoulder high.”

The surfers got their stop at Lowers, but this year might turn out to be one of those cases of watch out what you wish for.

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Hidden Treasure

Most pro surfers say Lower Trestles offers the premier performance wave in Southern California, but the site is somewhat remote for a major competition and the state allows only three events a year at the environmentally-sensitive area.