Encinitas surfer Levi Slawson wins SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach

Encinitas’ Levi Slawson claimed a win at the World Surf League’s SLO CAL Open Pro Junior competition at Pismo Beach on Jan. 29. With the victory, Slawson put his name atop the North America Pro Junior rankings to start his 2023 campaign.

At Pismo Beach, Slawson earned his first-ever WSL North America win, previously winning a WSL Pro Junior in Australia. He is working toward World Junior Championships qualification.

“I’m slowly starting to find my feet in contests and it feels really good to win this one,” said Slawson in a news release. “I’ve been working with Matt Myers a lot and really just trying to dial in my competition surfing. I know my free surfing has been there and I’m confident in that, but it’s been more of a challenge for me to work on heats. It’s great to feel some momentum and even though I lost in the QS Semifinal, overall it’s been a great couple of weeks.”

Levi Slawson surfs in a semifinal heat of the SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach Pro Junior.

(World Surf League)