When visitors arrived at Huntington Beach on Saturday, they were met with high-flying motocross action as part of the 2025 US Open Surfing‘s grand inaugural ceremony. If the off-water stunts were anything to go by, fans knew right then that they were in for a week-long extravaganza. But it seems like Mother Nature isn’t entirely up for letting the surfing enthusiasts have a chill time.
The world still hasn’t forgotten the devastating tsunamis that rocked coastal regions of the Indian Ocean in 2004 and swept Japan’s seaside in 2011. But when the US Open Surfing was announced this year, the organizers probably didn’t imagine they’d have to brace themselves for something similar. And yet, it looks they might need to, and soon.
A post by the official World Surf League from July 29 on X shared an update for public information. “TSUNAMI WARNING IN EFFECT,” reads the caption of the social media update in an ominous tone. The X post elaborates further, “A powerful M8.7 earthquake struck 350 miles SW of Bering Island, Komandorski this afternoon, triggering tsunami watches, warnings, and advisories across the North Pacific.” The center of the earthquake was determined to be 19 kilometers (about 12 miles) under the sea off the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, but a tsunami warning was also issued for Hawai’i. “A Tsunami warning has been issued for Hawai’i. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands,” WSL’s X post states.
But the warnings don’t end there. “Alerts have also been issued for California and Alaska and the entire west coast of the U.S. has been alerted to watch for signs of dangerous waves and parts of Canada, Russia and Japan are also under tsunami alerts,” the post goes on. Goes without saying, the ongoing US Open Surfing in California will also need to be halted to ensure the athletes’ and fans’ safety.
TSUNAMI WARNING IN EFFECT
A powerful M8.7 earthquake struck 350 miles SW of Bering Island, Komandorski this afternoon, triggering tsunami watches, warnings, and advisories across the North Pacific.
A Tsunami warning has been issued for Hawai’i. The Pacific Tsunami Warning… pic.twitter.com/TDajN0SKeU
— World Surf League (@wsl) July 30, 2025
From Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border, large sections of the US’s western coast are said to be under threat from the earthquake. In case the situation turns into a tsunami, it’s expected that the waves will reach California by 11:50 p.m. (local time) and then hit the Los Angeles area around 1 a.m. “Port Police and emergency officials are actively responding to tonight’s Tsunami Advisory. Residents and workers in and around the L.A. Harbor area are urged to stay alert, avoid the waterline, and follow official instructions,” Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, wrote in a post on X.
In a move of added precaution, Huntington Beach is also closing its piers and beaches, which are managed by the Orange County Parks. However, the region isn’t under as severe a threat as Hawai’i and Honolulu. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi urged residents to move to higher grounds, while Hawaii Gov. Josh Green didn’t mince words when he stated, “If you stay on the beaches, you could risk death.”
While the dangers of the quake are obvious, it would nonetheless make the surfing fans frown.
The US Open Surfing didn’t have it all, but it did have a lot
For a lot of reasons, this year’s US Open Surfing was highly anticipated among the fans. Among other things, Gabriel Medina’s possible participation in the event caused a lot of stir. After all, the Brazilian, following his bronze medal triumph at the 2024 Olympic Games, suffered injuries and even sat out the season opener at the Lexus Pipe Pro in Hawaii. Moreover, with Median already claiming that he wouldn’t accept a last-minute wildcard invite to next month’s Tahiti Pro, fans couldn’t wait to see if the flying surfer would instead get back to his natural pastures at the world’s biggest surfing competition in Huntington Beach. Well, as it turned out, he didn’t.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Surfing – Men’s Round 1 – Heat 4 – Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia – July 27, 2024. Gabriel Medina of Brazil exits a wave. Ed Sloane/Pool via REUTERS
But there was also a lot to make up for the missed chance of watching Medina dominate the waves. Laguna Beach surfer Avalon Gall recorded the first pro win of her young career, while Hawai’i’s Kai Ellice-Flint upset the defending champion Taylor Jensen, as both surfers were crowned the longboard champions at the 2025 US Open Surfing in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively.
But while fans were eagerly waiting for the next rounds of the tournament, they will have to hold on to their horses for the time being. After all, decade-old memories are still fresh. What do you think could be the outcome for this year’s US Open Surfing in light of the towering waves that could be on their way to California? Tell us.
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