Guinness Record Set In Huntington Beach With Surf Circle Of Honor

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Surf City celebrated International Surfing Day, June 20, in the best way it knew how: creating the largest ever recorded "Circle of Honor."

Five-hundred thirty-seven surfers joined in the effort inspired by International Surfing Day and the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum. The event was designed not only to break the world record but also to support surfing in the 2020 Olympic games and to promote Huntington Beach as a location for that event when the Olympics returns to Los Angeles.

The morning began with an 8:30 a.m. parade down Main Street, with Huntington Beach Police and Fire Department leading the surfboard-toting group. The local high school marching band played, and the city council members rode inside none other than surf city-themed Volkswagen buses. It was a party atmosphere for all present, under traditional June gloomy coastal skies as the surfers took to the chilly Pacific Ocean waters.

The National Weather Service extended high surf warnings from Tuesday through Thursday this week, making the already difficult task that much harder.

Tuesday's weather was overcast and cool, with surf in excess of 5-foot waves and wind and treacherous rip currents along the Orange County coastline.

Still, more than 500 gathered to attempt the paddle-out and surf circle that is typically meant to honor surfers after they have passed on. This was not the largest paddle-out in Huntington Beach's history, however it was the largest paddle-out ever attempted under the watchful eye of the Guinness World Record keepers.

According to the Orange County Register, the paddle-outs for surfer Andy Irons and Surfline founder Sean Collins were far larger; this was the first time Guinness World Records would record the large number of surfers paddling out to create the "Circle of Honor."

Surfers paddled out together in groups along the Huntington Beach pier. Following the paddle-out, surfers wearing colorful rash guard shirts joined hands and waited to be counted.

Five-hundred eleven recorded surfers made it into the "Circle of Honor," according to world record keepers who counted via jetski. The party began immediately upon the record-breaking count, and Surf City USA was dubbed officially a world record holder.

Huntington Beach has done something extraordinary, a resident said.

"That was the hardest I've worked for one wave," one surfer was overheard saying after the event.

"I feel blessed to have surfed during our epic achievement," Diana Sullivan of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum said via Facebook. "It's a day I will always cherish."

Photo via YouTube screenshot