Viewfinder: Paddleboarders Take Over the Pier

The second-annual Paddleboard Race & Ocean Festival took place on Saturday, and we've got the pictures to prove it.

This year's event featured an extensive history exhibit accompanying the fleet of races and competitions. The fest also had live music and special appearances by guests including Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman, after whom the famous Gidget character was modeled.

The fest took place in conjunction with a beach cleanup. It benefited the nonprofit organization and the it operates.

The races ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They included traditional paddleboards and stand-up paddleboards, as well as dories and outrigger canoes. An awards ceremony followed at 2:30 p.m.

Competitors raced in a 5.5-mile loop beginning at the pier, going north to Santa Monica Canyon, heading south all the way to the Venice border and returning north to the pier.

"The pier is a fantastic place to watch this kind of competition," Joel Brand, one of the event organizers, told Santa Monica Patch.

At least 200 competitors participated. One of them was Mickey Muñoz, the 70-year-old Santa Monica native who was one of the original pioneers of big-wave surfing.

The paddleboard race was part of the World Paddle Association's Championship Qualifying series. In addition to the race course, there was a 2-mile Fun Paddle route wrapping around the pier.

[Go to read more about the festival, go here to read more about the history of paddleboarding in Santa Monica, and go here to check out a massive gallery of historical photos.]

At least 60 volunteers pitched in for the event. Sponsors included Honolua Surf Co.,  and ZJ Boarding House.