The 9th annual Jeju International Surf Competition was held this weekend at Jungmun Beach. Over 500 surfers were expected to attend this year, but were kept waiting for the action on Saturday by typically gray and potentially stormy weather.
Surfers flock to Jeju every July for the competition, which has grown in size every year since it began in 2002. While most surfers this year were from Korea, they also hailed from Japan, America, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, and the Netherlands. About 10 percent of Korean surfers were from Jeju, while a large majority of mainland Korean surfers came from Seoul and Busan.
Surfers compete for a variety of prizes including surfboards, wetsuits, board short, watches, sunglasses and other gear from sponsors such as Billabong and Quicksilver. Attendees can also win prizes by registering for a 40,000 won fee.
The competition has a history of coinciding with bad weather, especially in the last few years when Jeju’s rainy season has run later than expected. (This year, the rainy season came early.)
People have begun to refer to it as a “jinx” that they almost expect to happen every year. One of the attendees from Busan, Cheryl Kim, explained the curse. “Yeah, there will be sunshine and good waves right up until Saturday, and then the jinx kicks in. Every year. But we’re just here to have a good time.”
Kim Hee Cheol, chairman of the Seogwipo Surfing Association and the main organizer of the event, explained the effect that the weather was having on the competition. “We thought about canceling the foreigners, champions, and beginners categories tomorrow, but we’re still waiting to decide.”
“We haven’t been able to have a competition today,” he said pointing out at the foggy, gray water, “So we’re waiting to see what tomorrow looks like. There’s a lottery now for the prizes that would have gone to those surfers, so people can win them tonight at the party.”
Corey Coolman, an American surfer from Daegu, disagreed with the idea of a “jinx.” “No, it’s just timing. There’s waves around before, waves after. Not a ‘jinx.’” His friend, another surfer from Pyeongtaek, called over “We need a storm! Not a typhoon, just a storm to clear things up.”
While the beach was still buried in thick fog by Saturday afternoon, that didn’t look like it was going to stop people from enjoying themselves. Everyone, surfers and non-surfers alike, was full of smiles as they hung out on the beach, went swimming, and paddled out to try and catch a few waves for fun. Which is, after all, the real reason for being there. <Jeju Weekly>
<Serenity Bolt contributor@jejuweekly.comⓒ Jeju Weekly All rights reserved>
