Red Bull Foam Wreckers, the “anti-surf” surf contest is coming back to La Jolla Shores this Sunday, October 26. The event is basically everything a surf contest shouldn't be — which is exactly why we’ll be there.

Here’s how it works: Soft-tops only. Spin a wheel to determine your board. Maybe you get a twin fin, maybe you get a bodyboard. Maybe a log, maybe a high-performance sled. Maybe multiple sleds (as Griffin says this may be an advantage).

There is zero pressure and maximum chaos encouraged. College kids competing (some who can barely surf), judges looking for creativity over precision, and the kind of vibe that reminds you why we all paddled out in the first place.

I caught up with Griffin Colapinto — a perennial World Title contender on the WSL World Tour coming off standout performances in both Fiji and Tahiti — to talk about the extended break from tour, growing up on foam boards, and his competitive strategy for an event where doing a wheelbarrow on a wave might actually get you a win.

If you're in the area, come down to La Jolla Shores this Sunday. First heat kicks off at 9 AM. Bring your friends, maybe a soft-top and plan on attending the afterparty at The Shore Rider in La Jolla (5 min walk from contest site) starting at 5pm. Red Bull’s treat.—Travis Ferré

Travis Ferre: You just wrapped the longest off-season you've probably had since you were a kid. Seven months without competing. How's that feel?

Griffin Colapinto: I have completely switched off. 100%. After a long season, it's good to not think about surfing or even go surfing that much. There's this buildup when you give it time — it's like when people get injured and come back so excited and grateful to be in the water. I'm trying to cultivate that feeling without the injury of course. Give it some time, then there's this point where I'm absolutely feening to get back out there.

That idea of a manufactured absence to create enthusiasm totally works in my experience. I recently took a few weeks out of the water, then paddled out, and had the best session I've had in years. Everything just clicked.

Right? When you're excited and enthusiastic, you're way more present. That brings out the fluid motion, the athletic ability that's in all of us. Maybe you also just have one simple thought in your head because you forgot everything you were trying to work on before. So you're focused on one thing and it transforms into everything.

During the season, especially heading into Fiji and Tahiti, you must've been so dialed in on technique and strategy. Was it a relief to reset?

For sure. When you're in season, every session, every wave — you're thinking like you're in a heat. Like, okay, I gotta put this combo together, can't fall, need to be super on point. But in the off-season? I'm just going to be creative. If I'm falling, if I'm bogging, I don't care. I'm not in season. That freedom lets you find new creative maneuvers, do things you weren't even thinking about. You're like, whoa, I've never done that before!

Speaking of creative maneuvers — let's talk about foam boards. Have you ever spent much time riding or thinking about them or nah?

Oh yeah. My dad ran a surf camp for 20 years, he started it the year I was born. So I grew up around foam boards my whole life. We were always doing fun stuff with them. I remember one thing we did — this is really funny — we'd take three foam boards and tie the leashes together. Two friends would be on two boards, and one person would be on the third board out the back. The two guys in front would paddle into a wave, stand up, and then they'd be dragging the third person behind them — but out the back of the wave, not even on the wave itself. Just getting pulled along from behind [the wave]. We had so much time at surf camp so all day we were thinking of all kinds of crazy shit to do.

That's incredible. I had to picture it for a second but now I'm in. Maybe we can get someone to try that this weekend.

Right? That's a heat winner for sure.

Have you been to any of the Foam Wrecker events before? Or seen the Lowers raids on soft-tops?

I haven't been part of the raids, but I was at Lowers when it happened once. It was a nightmare. They picked the worst time — end of summer, like this time of year, Lowers was firing, barely anyone out. A couple locals and I were just scoring for like an hour and a half. Then 50 kids from the high school came down on foam boards and just hosed the whole session. I was so rattled. It'd be way more fun to do it when it's super crowded.

For this contest, you've got college kids — some who have maybe never surfed in an event in their lives, some who know what they're doing, all walks. You spin a wheel, get a random board. What's your competitive advice? How do you stand out in a heat under those circumstances?

Creativity. Do the funniest thing you can. Are there going to be judges?

Yeah, full contest setup. But the criteria is more about standing out than scoring waves.

Can you work together with people?

I think so. Why not? I think we can make it happen.

Then I'd say if you can work together, do a wheelbarrow — you know, where one guy's on his hands and you're holding his feet — try to do that on a wave. Or if someone could pull off a handstand. All that kind of stuff.

Have you ever done anything progressive on a foam board?

No. Definitely not. Maybe a fins-first takeoff or something.

Perfect answer. So what's coming up for you after this Sunday’s Foam Wreckers event in La Jolla? What's the next couple months look like as you enjoy some time off?

I'm super psyched on golf right now. A bunch of my friends are fired up on it too, so we're just doing that, trying to improve. It's fun being competitive with a new hobby, working our brain with it. And then I've got the Vipassana retreat in January — I've done it the last two years. It's this meditation retreat, kind of a reset and refresh, gets me fired up for the new year. After that it's locked back in — surfing a bunch, training, getting psyched together.

Sounds sick. Well, enjoy the golf today and we’ll see you Sunday at the contest.