Rincon Classic

Landlubbers take note: If you want to get a good read on just how intricately — and profoundly — the art of wave riding is woven into the fabric of Santa Barbara, your best chance is just around the corner.

The Classic will get underway bright and early Saturday morning at the end of Bates Road at the storybook right-hand point break that straddles the border of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. On hand will be 260 surfers — spanning 11 divisions and coming in all shapes, sizes, and ages — to battle it out in the most prestigious “local” surf contest in the Lower 48.

“Every year, I am reminded of how it truly takes a community to run this event,” mused Contest Director Chris Keet last week. “And, well, that’s what this is all about. It’s a contest and a coming together for the people that are here every swell of every year, the people who call this place home.”