Atlantic Park Lights Up for the Chlorine Clash
Forget dawn-patrol alarms—Monday night in Virginia Beach felt more like a Vegas residency for surfing. Atlantic Park Surf’s brand-new wave pool hosted its first-ever contest, the Chlorine Clash Surf Invitational, and locals partied harder than the tide ever could. With 500-plus spectators lining the lagoon, a DJ cranking bass, and a 16-surfer bracket stacked with East-Coast firepower, it looked—and sounded—like a pool party that happens to send 6-foot peelers every 90 seconds.
Hometown heroes Blayr Barton, Michael Dunphy and Story Martinez surfed under the floodlights while visiting assassins like Dimitri Poulos and Reid Van Wagoner traded air-revs and fin-blasts. The vibe? More snowboard slopestyle than traditional surf heat: riders dialed in exact sequences, timing each carve like a choreographed dance because, well, the wave never changes. “It’s like knowing your lift line’s going to hit the same jump every time,” Dunphy told The Virginian-Pilot.
When the chlorine settled, it was Dimitri Poulos who took the inaugural crown—and the celebratory shoulder ride to shore proved that even perfect artificial waves still deliver very real stoke.
WestJet Unlocks Direct Flight to Puerto Escondido’s Famous Barrels
If you’ve been eyeing those freight-train Playa Zicatela tubes on Instagram but dreading two-layover itineraries, WestJet just gifted Canadian surfers a serious shortcut. Starting December 12, 2025, Calgary flyers can hop a nonstop Saturday flight straight to Puerto Escondido—no red-eye through Mexico City required. Wheels-down at 3:44 p.m. means sunset tacos and a dawn-patrol warm-up the very next day.
Travel And Tour World reports this is WestJet’s biggest Mexico schedule ever—an 8 % seat bump—and Puerto is now the undisputed glittering jewel in that crown. Whether you’re a photographer chasing Zicatela’s emerald caverns or a surfer ready to graduate from beach-breaks, the new route just trimmed an entire travel day off the pilgrimage. Pack the step-up, load the SD cards, and thank Alberta winters for the excuse to bail.