Largest Gathering Of Black Surfers In America Coming To Huntington

For the second year in a row A Great Day In The Stoke celebrates the Black and African American connection to surfing and the ocean.

On Saturday, September 16, the largest gathering of Black and African American surfers in America comes to Huntington Beach for the second annual A Great Day In The Stoke. A full day of surfing, yoga, music and good times, the dream was turned into a reality last year by Nathan Fluellen and his dedicated team. This year the gathering is back, bigger and the vibes couldn’t be better.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the women competitors. Last year we had 6 women total, this year we have 16 women in four different divisions,” Fluellen shared with Surfer. “I believe they will build on last year’s competitors success and create the Venus and Serena affect!”

The day will be anchored by a surf comp at the Huntington Pier. It’s scheduled to run from 7:30 through 3:00. And while that’s going on there will be free surf lessons provided by Rocky McKinnon Surf & SUP. They’ll run from 9:00am-11:00am and 12:00pm-2:00pm.

“I love how our surfers are going to inspire African-Americans to learn how to swim and demystify the stereotype that Black people don’t know how to swim,” Fluellen continues.

On the beach there will be a yoga session hosted by Walkgood LA from 10:00am-11:00am. There will also be an awards ceremony followed by an afterparty on the beach.

“A Great Day In The Stoke is like attending a HBCU homecoming. We are going to see our surf community and celebrate our existence,” adds Fluellen.

Founded in 2022, inspired by 1958’s A Great Day In Harlem and 1998’s A Great Day In Hip Hop, A Great Day In The Stoke was created to provide a safe space for Black surfers to connect, compete, build community and inspire. The description the event’s About Us page reads:

“A Great Day In The Stoke is an opportunity to simply celebrate one’s existence without the burden of protest or another tragedy against Black bodies. Organizers and founders want to show Black surfers worldwide that we exist in mass and give aspiring surfers permission to get in the water just as they are. Lastly, we want to show the surf industry we have been ignored here for years, and now it is time to support and invest in growing the BIPOC surf community.”

In the last week the surf world crowned their world champs at Lower Trestles, gathered in Oceanside for the Adaptive Surfing Championships, and now this weekend A Great Day In The Stoke celebrates the power and beauty of the Black surfing experience. What a time to be a surfer!