How a 23-Year-Old Pro Surfer Beat Dane Reynolds at Firing Rincon (Video)

It’d be easy to be a prisoner of the moment and say Saturday was “all-time” at the Rincon. That’s a lofty bar, and too high to clear. But the truth is that the waves were very, very good. With a solid west swell wrapping around the point, surfers were gifted glistening overhead walls to hit to their heart’s content or their legs gave out, whichever happened first. The wind was light all day, a rarity at the Cove. 

It nearly didn't happen. Even organizers initially called the event on the weekend prior, for January 31-February 1. But the swell slowed, and the forecast shifted. So the event got pushed out another week, with February 7 delivering one of the contest's best days in years.

“Rincon can be a slow wave sometimes,” Dimitri said. “You can get heats where there is one set, or you get lucky, get a nug, or really have to grind it out to get a backup. But I feel like (on Saturday), the waves were so consistent that in almost every heat, everyone had an opportunity to get one, if not two, premier waves to surf.”

Anyone who has seen Dimitri on a heater knows his surfing is tack sharp. He's just as comfortable carving across a wall on his Timmy Patterson as he is hucking it into the flats. Over the last year, Dimitri has been entrenched in contests. The 23-year-old is sitting No. 14 on the CS rankings, four spots away from qualifying for the WSL Championship Tour with one event remaining. Remarkably, he’s doing it all without the backing of a marquee sponsor. The $1,200 he won in prize money over the weekend will help pay for this trip to Newcastle, Australia, next month. But despite the jersey and scores in place at the Cove, Dimitri saw it as just another day to dig into righthand walls. 

“I try not to look at it as a contest,” he said. “I wanted to smooth out my surfing, so I saw it as an opportunity to get good waves and work on some stuff. I feel like that mindset helped me not try too hard, make things come easier, which was cool. I was just so stoked to be out there.”

In addition to the pro heats, the Rincon Classic truly underscores the local multi-generational surf community. The event was a milestone for Dane Reynolds (who made the pro final), as his son Sammy got to surf in the contest, too.

It's a lot of work to run 12 divisions from tiny groms to vets in their 80s over two days. But that's what organizers did, from sunup to sundown on Saturday and Sunday. It may lead to sore backs, but it also makes fond memories. The day after his win, Dimitri watched his younger brother, Alex, win the 12-and-under Gremlins division. "That was sick," Dimitri said. "I was actually more stoked to see him win than I was for myself."

"I remember doing it as a grom, you're so hungry and it's so competitive, you really want to do well," he concluded. "I don't want to speak for everyone else, but for me, coming home and doing this event, as I get older, the camaraderie is really good. For us in the pro divisions, we've become friends. And we just get fired up to surf Rincon with each other. We just get psyched on the waves."

2026 Rincon Classic Results

Rincon Brewery Pro Invitational

1. Dimitri Poulos 15.14
2. Mickey Clarke 12.60
3. Conner Coffin 11.67
4. Dane Reynolds 8.81

Open Mens 18+

1. Brandon Benjamin 7.27
2. Marley Sapp 6.87
3. Jack Zoltan 6.87
4. Sam Reichel 6.10
5. Tahven Modisette 5.50
6. Elias Smith 4.50

Open Womens 18+

1. Makena Burke 15.70
2. Eloise Grewe 10.70
3. Izzy Scott 8.13
4. Kaira Wallace 7.50
5. Vela Mattive 5.93
6. Aubrey Falk Luyendyk 5.46

Masters 35+

1. Pete Mussio 17.30
2. Dennis Rizzo 13.17
3. Teddy Travers 11.64
4. Dylan Perkins 10.93
5. Chris Del Moro 9.00
6. Brent Power 4.67

Grand Masters 45+

1. Brian Switzer 16.24
2. Ryan Moore 13.90
3. Chris Keet 10.03
4. Olaf Negard 9.44
5. Jacob Nesheim 7.84
6. Greg Venable 7.70

Legends 55+

1. Andrew Jakubowski 14.00
2. Tom Dillan 10.57
3. Chris Willingham 9.44
4. Craig Boyce 7.34
5. Darryl Miya 6.43
6. Israel Gutierrez 1.50

Super Legends 65+

1. Steve Hanson 8.36
2. James Mc Clintock 6.63
3. Tony Luna 6.60
4. Sabin Perkins 6.33
5. L Paul Mann 5.47
6. Frank Morales 1.37

Lady Legends 55+

1. Miranda Joseph 12.93
2. Lynn Cochrane 9.34
3. Simone Reddingius 8.23
4. Lisa Luna 5.03
5. Lyn Burich 1.50
6. Beth O’Rourke

10 and under CO-ED

1. Christopher Burke 12.33
2. Clive Unander 12.04
3. Sammy Reynolds. 7.87
4. River Abbott 7.20
5. Gene Goss 6.26
6. Cash Power

12 and Under Gremlins

1. Alex Poulos (on count back) 11.06
2. Jack Keet 11.06
3. Kado Suarez 8.46
4. Sawyer Osborne 7.67
5. Clive Unander 6.76
6. Benny Pondel 6.73

14 and Under Boys

1. Henry Goldstein 11.70
2. Koby Wachter 11.13
3. Christian Relis 7.00
4. Kai Landers 6.96
5. Landon Leighty 6.07
6. Maddox Keet 5.86

17 and Under Juniors

1. Beckett Mechtenberg 11.00
2. Tate Kimball 10.17
3. Aiden Albada 9.97
4. Fynn Neth 9.73
5. Dominic Arce 8.43
6. Wyatt Pitterle 7.37