US Open of Surfing 2012 Sports / Surfing Jul 28–Aug 5, 2012

The US Open of Surfing is one of the biggest professional surfing tournaments in the world and is held annually at Huntington Beach in Southern California. The event takes place over nine long days in July and features the best surfers on the planet vying for surfing supremacy.

Started back in 1959, the US Open of Surfing has gone through various name and date changes over the years, but today is steadily held in the same location and has been known to attract over half a million spectators to the event.

The main attraction of the US Open of Surfing is of course watching the world's best surfers catch massive waves in heated competition. The US Open of Surfing winners receive a cash prize of $100,000 and earn points towards qualifying for the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship.

In addition to surfing, there's also a skateboarding competition that takes place at the event. The Damn AM HB features the top skateboarders on the planet who vie for a $90,000 cash prize.

The US Open of Surfing is free to watch but has a few rules that go along with the privilege of witnessing the best skaters and surfers on the planet. The event is alcohol and smoke free and doesn't sell any bottled water on site - part of the event's desire to minimize waste in support of recycling efforts.

Parking at the US Open of Surfing is often limited, so it's wise to check out the event's shuttle service which transports surf fanatics from Huntington Beach and Edison High Schools to the event site.

Past US Open of Surfing winners include Kelly Slater, Brett Simpson, Lakey Peterson, and Chelsea Georgeson.

Other events at the US Open of Surfing include live music, typically alt-rock, and has featured everyone from Weezer and MGMT to TV On The Radio and Grouplove. The bars and clubs in Huntington Beach are perpetually packed during the nine-day festivities, and you're likely to run into world class surfers and skaters throughout the week at all local establishments.