Brad Ettinger of Huntington Beach won the the 2007 No Fear Mexican Surf Fiesta, held October 4th - 6th at San Miguel. The Pacific Northwest turned on just in time for the contest, bringing overhead surf to the rippable righthander. Baja Bound was a sponsor of the contest and spent the weekend at the event.
The Mexican Surf Fiesta is a 2 Star WQS (World Qualifying Series) contest that allows surfers to earn points to qualify for the ASP World Tour. Past winners of the Surf Fiesta include Chris Ward, Dane Johnson, Kyle Knox, Tim Reyes, Matt Archbold, Matt King and Jeff Deffenbaugh.
For the first time ever, the Mexican Surf Fiesta had a "Sweet 16" division, featuring the top 16 amateur surfers from the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association). Nathan Rex from Hawaii came out on top of the "Sweet 16", earning $2,500 and a spot in the main event. However, Rex had already been surfing through the trials and had qualified for the main event, so Californian Dane Zaun was given the spot in the main event.
For more information about amateur surfing in the U.S. and the "Sweet 16" that was featured at the Mexican Surf Fiesta, visit the NSSA website. They have a great video up with some of the amazing surfing that took place over the weekend.
2007 Mexican Surf Fiesta Photos: