East Coast, West Coast Marines Face Off in Surf Competition

Camp Pendleton Marines representing both the East Coast and West Coast boot camps competed in the Red Bull Rivalry surf contest Saturday at Del Mar Beach. 

Sponsored by Red Bull and the Marine Corps Community Services, the competition played up the rivalry between Marines trained at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on the West Coast and Marines trained at Parris Island on the East Coast.

"There was already a rivalry built in with the East Coast Marines and the West Coast Marines," said Red Bull communications manager Scott Houston. "It was almost too perfect," he said.

For Maui, Hawaii, native Sgt. Callahan Welsh of the 3rd AABN, Saturday's competition was a good break from day-to-day military life.

"Serving the country, a lot of military life is not normal," said Welsh. "It is a good morale booster," he said.

Scott Houston also saw the boost in morale. "I have never been thanked so much in three days in my entire life," said Houston. "[The Marines] are super genuine and very thankful," he said.

Going into the competition, it was almost expected that the West Coast Marines would have the surfing advantage. However, that did not deter the East Coast team.

"We just have something to prove today," said Marine Sgt. Bruce Bennett from Niles, OH. 

Organizers said this year's event has already exceeded expectations, and they hope the event will keep on growing in the future. 

"It is a perfect year for the first year," said Houston. "We want to grow it yearly and make it one of the biggest events on Camp Pendleton," he said.