Thousands Turn Out for 35th Annual Ocean Festival

Crowds of people swarmed the pier on Saturday to take part in the 35th annual San Clemente Ocean Festival.

Featuring a myriad of sports, from lifeguard competitions to racing groms, the festival has a contest for just about everyone.

"We had a great turnout today," said Peggy Vance, executive director of the festival. "At first it was a little slow because of the weather  ...then the sun came up and now we have the best weather in the world. This year we expect to have over 66,000 people attend."

SLIDESHOW: Competitors in Action

When the San Clemente Ocean Festival began in 1976, only a few thousand people attended and just a few dozen lifeguards competed in the events. 

"This year we are full in all of our athletic events," said Jack Sutter, organizer of the surf events. "We have thousands of athletes from every age range. It's grown a lot."

The popularity of the event has been a real boon to the man who makes the official T-shirts. 

"When I first started making shirts for the festival in 1992 we sold only a few dozen," said Bob Harlow of Harlow Design. "This year we plan on selling 7,000 to 8,000 shirts."

For more information, visit the San Clemente Ocean Festival on the web or call 949-440-6141.