Surfbout IV Begins Today

San Clemente’s Shane Stoneman and Brian Wise are among the 300 surfers and bodyboarders entered at the $28,600 Body Glove Surfbout VI, which starts today at Lower Trestles near Camp Pendleton.

Stoneman moved from seventh to fourth in the overall standings on the Bud Pro Surfing Tour by winning the Aug. 29 contest at Virginia Beach.

He has a chance to become the fourth consecutive San Clemente surfer to win the U.S. title, joining Dino Andino (1990), Mike Parsons (1991) and Shane Beschen (1992).

Cardiff’s Rob Machado leads the tour with 5,120 points, followed by Santa Barbara’s Chris Brown (4,700), Carlsbad’s Taylor Knox (4,490) and Stoneman (3,950). Huntington Beach’s Jeff Deffenbaugh is sixth (3,620).

Defending world champion Joey Hawkins of Huntington Beach is entered in the longboard surfing division, along with San Clemente’s Josh Baxter.

Wise, in his second year as a professional, is leading the tour’s bodyboarding division with 2,895 points. Mike Stewart of Hawaii, eight-time world champion, is second with 2,790.

Competition begins each day at 7 a.m. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are scheduled for Sunday morning. The bodyboarding finals are at 1 p.m., followed by the two surfing finals.