UPDATE: No Brooks Street Surfing Classic This Weekend

NEW UPDATE: 7:45 A.M., SEPT. 3: For the second time, the 50th running of the Brooks Street Surfing Classic looked like it was going to happen. And for the second time, it was decided to hold off and wait for better surf conditions.

A crowd had begun to gather around 6 a.m. this morning at the top of the Brooks Street steps. But after about an hour of monitoring the conditions, and after a conversation with a city official, contest organizer Brandy Faber decided that the swells were too blown out to stage the competition. Other surfers and observers agreed that it was best to wait for another weekend, one that's more worthy of celebrating the Classic's 50th anniversary.

The contest has been held as late as the beginning of October in previous years. The Brooks Street Surfing Classic is one of the oldest surf contests, if not the oldest, in the United States.

NEW UPDATE: 7:15 P.M. SEPT.2: Brandy Faber's latest update: "Still plenty of swell today and forecast is a slow ease through the weekend. The conditions are a bit challenging but this might be the last opportunity to run the 50th Annual Brooks St. Surfing Classic this summer. If the event happens this weekend then we want to take advantage of the conditions as the tides and consistency of swell might need to be worked around. If you plan on surfing in the contest please be there early so we can get everyone signed up and the heats and schedule built."

UPDATE: 5:37 P.M. SEPT. 1: Brandy Faber has sent out his latest Facebook update regarding Brooks Street's possible happening this weekend. He writes:

"As of now we are all systems go for the 50th Annual Brooks St. Surfing Classic this Saturday & Sunday. A very powerful SSW swell arrived yesterday and forecasts have it holding solid through Monday. The angle should get better and better each day as the swell turns more south and the tides are actually pretty good with how big it is. The forecast says consistency will improve as swell progresses and starts to decrease. No need to ask questions, text or call about the event as we are busy getting ready. Just show up bright and early Saturday morning, sign up and be ready for 48 hours of epic surfing!
Will do one more update after tomorrow night's forecast comes out both via e-mail and on the Brooks St. Surfing Classic's Facebook page!"

ORIGINAL POST: Brandy Faber, organizer of the as-annual-as-possible , has sent out an email update that this weekend could be THE weekend to stage the contest.

"There was a very powerful swell generated in the Southern Hemisphere last week, and it is heading our way," reports Faber. "For those of you who watched the Billabong Pro, then you saw how massive it was in Tahiti a few days ago."

Faber says that forecasts have the swell peaking this weekend. Updates will be coming (and reported here on Laguna Beach Patch, as well as on our Twitter feed and Facebook page) as the week progresses.

But, as always, a final call on whether to hold the contest—reputed to be one of the oldest surf competitions in the country—won't be made until early Saturday morning when conditions at will be assessed.