By Joseph Seemayer
Ventura surfer Dimitri Poulos captured a win at the Rincon Classic this past weekend, emerging on top of a deep field that included past event winners and current and former Championship Tour competitors.
The long-running contest was held at Rincon Point, one of California’s most iconic surf breaks. Known for its long, winding right-hand waves, Rincon rewards patience, positioning, and technical precision, making it a venue where experience and wave knowledge often play a decisive role. Unlike shorter beach breaks that can reward quick, high-risk maneuvers or opportunistic sections, Rincon often favors surfers who can link turns smoothly over extended rides and manage each section with control.
“For people who live in our area, the Rincon Classic feels like a pretty prestigious event,” Poulos said. “Everyone in it rips really hard and is good out at Rincon, so it felt good to be able to come out on top.”
The Rincon Classic has been part of California surf culture for decades and is widely regarded as one of the state’s most respected surf competitions. Generations of surfers from Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have grown up measuring themselves against Rincon’s long walls, and the event has become a fixture on the regional contest calendar. Its reputation has endured because the wave itself demands authenticity — strong rail work, patience, and the ability to read a section from start to finish.
For many local surfers, success at Rincon carries a different kind of weight. It is not simply about advancing through heats, but about performing at a wave that is deeply woven into the region’s identity. A strong showing at Rincon often resonates beyond the contest site, earning respect throughout the broader California surf community.
While the event’s history carries weight within the surf community, Poulos said it was not something he focused on during the contest itself.
“To be completely honest, the history didn’t really add any extra significance to the win for me,” he said. “But it’s always a pleasure to compete in it, and knowing the history and being able to be a part of it is really cool.”
Rincon’s reputation as a demanding point break shapes the way surfers approach competition there. With rides that can stretch hundreds of yards under the right conditions, surfers must balance performance with consistency. A single mistake can end a promising wave, making patience and wave selection just as important as progressive maneuvers.
“My approach changes in the sense that I have to surf it like any point break,” Poulos explained. “It’s more calculated and patient — making it from point A to point B without falling, while still being able to surf the wave well.”
That measured approach, Poulos said, is closely tied to his background growing up in Ventura County, where point breaks like Rincon, C Street, and other nearby reefs have long influenced the region’s surf culture. Years spent learning how to read long walls and time sections properly helped build the comfort level he brought into this year’s event.
“Growing up in Ventura and being able to surf Rincon and the other point breaks has definitely helped shape my surfing into what it is today,” he said. “I feel very comfortable when it comes to surfing out there since I grew up surfing it.”
The Rincon Classic regularly draws a high-caliber field that blends elite-level professionals with top regional surfers. When conditions align and the point begins to fire, heats can unfold across multiple sections of the point, with competitors racing down the line to maximize scoring opportunities. Because of the wave’s technical nature, results at Rincon are often viewed as a meaningful benchmark — not just a contest result, but a reflection of control and composure at one of California’s most scrutinized breaks.
Despite the competitive stakes, Poulos said the overall experience of the day stood out more than the final result.
“For me personally, the day of surfing we got to experience was way more important than the win,” he said. “Getting to surf pumping waves with no one out and just having a good day hanging with friends up there is hard to beat.”
That perspective, Poulos said, reflects what continues to motivate him as a competitor and surfer. While trophies and titles mark milestones, the connection to the ocean and the shared experience in the lineup remain central to why many surfers compete in the first place.
“That’s what surfing’s all about,” he said.
