Santa Barbara's East Beach was abuzz with excitement as Semana Nautica, the city's summer sports festival, drew hundreds of competitors for its action-packed events. This year's edition showcased the impressive talent of locals in various aquatic and land-based competitions, organized by Tony Sholl and the Santa Barbara Lifeguarding Association.
One of the highlights was the 2-Mile Ocean Swim, which attracted 95 swimmers. Melina Seider emerged as the top performer, finishing in 43:08, claiming first place overall, the top female spot, and the top female 18-29 racer title. Kyle Brill and Kyle Visin followed closely behind, securing second and third places, respectively. Brill also took the top male finisher and male 18-29 winner positions with a time of 43:10, while Visin's 43:15 earned him the Male 40s division victory.
The 3-Mile Ocean Swim was another crowd-puller, with 54 swimmers competing. Myles Peck crossed the finish line first, completing the course in 59:15. Seider and Brill again demonstrated their prowess, finishing second and third, respectively, with times of 1:05.08 and 1:05.27. Seider's performance solidified her position as the top female finisher, while Brill's time secured him the Male 18-29 division win.
The ocean swims were complemented by the 500-Meter race, won by Sawyer Siciliano with a strong 8:06. Allison Bernal took second place at 8:27, claiming the top spot in the Female 25+ division. Brittney Gamble secured third place at 8:37, earning the Female 18-24 division title.
The biathlon, featuring a run along East Beach and a 1-mile ocean swim, was won by Jason Smith with a time of 38:40, just two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kyle Visin. Whitney Bruice placed third overall and was the top female finisher with a time of 48:55. Leslie Roth, Scott Higgins, and Sergio Angulo also emerged as division winners in their respective categories.
The Stud Ironman, a challenging event combining five 200-meter swims and four runs, saw Smith claim first place with a time of 28:40, followed by Kyle Visin at 29:28 and Siciliano, the top Male 12U racer, at 30:17. Tessa Hope was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 30:23, and other division winners included Grady Mackers, Aya Cohen, Mia Torchia, Freya Vickers, and Lachlan Gardner.
The Ironguard events, including a relay and individual competition, showcased the versatility of the competitors. Dino Ise, Hazel Heckes, and Johnny Bish took first in the Ironguard relay, while Utah Roth and Allison Bernal were the Open Mixed Winners. In the individual competition, Kyle Visin's time of 5:25 secured him first place overall in the Open division, with Smith in second and Gamble as the first female finisher at 6:18.
The surf team events were equally thrilling. Joe Sarquillia, Ethan Hall, and Payton Lorssahn formed the top 3-Person Male team, Alison Bernal, Hannah Bernal, and Susanna Vaprek were the first-place 3-Person Female Team, and Dawn Screder and Whitney Bruice claimed the 2-Person Female win. In the 1-Mile surf teams event, Ethan Hall, Joe Sarquilla, and Payton Lorssahn won the 3-Person Male competition, Phillip Scofield and Eric Bleul captured the 2-Person Male race title, and Jim Cherry emerged as the individual race winner.
The East Beach 5K run was a highlight for those who preferred to stay on dry land, with Marie Claire Lamb claiming first place with a time of 16:17. The top four finishers included Hazel Heckes, Scout Siciliano, and Jonathan Stein.
The weekend concluded with three paddleboard competitions: the 1-Mile Paddle, the 3-Mile Paddle, and the Paddle Sprints. The 1-Mile Paddle saw an all-female top three, with Gamble in first at 16:07, Katie Swenson in second at 17:00, and Cassidy Beard in third at 17:15. Sawyer Siciliano won the Male JG B-Group title, while Jim West secured the Male Masters victory.
The 3-Mile Paddle featured a 14-foot board division, with Blankenhorn winning with a time of 34:45. Daniel Switzer claimed the 12-foot board top spot at 37:33, and Ise was the 10-foot-6 board winner with a mark of 38:15. Ise's dominance continued in the Open Division of the paddle sprints, where he finished in first place with a time of 2:10, earning the Male Lifeguard Winner title. Gamble, the first female to finish, took second overall at 2:14, with Charlie Black in third at 2:19.
As the festival draws to a close for the summer, Semana Nautica leaves a lasting impression, showcasing the talent and spirit of Santa Barbara's athletes. For those who missed out, the full schedule can be found at https://semananautica.com/events-1.
