Who's the top dog? Wave-riding canines compete in the World Dog Surfing Championships

Charlie the 10-year-old yellow lab likes surfing so much, he will grab his surfboard and run toward the water. His humans sometimes have to hide his board if they want to chat with friends on the beach.

Charlie joined about 15 to 20 other canine wave riders in Pacifica, 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of San Francisco, on Saturday at the World Dog Surfing Championships, an annual contest that draws thousands of spectators to Pacifica State Beach.

Pooches competed against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats featured multiple dogs surfing tandem or riding with people.

Labs, terriers and spaniels in monogrammed life vests dog-paddled out into the Pacific. Once out on the waves, their owners helped them hop on colorful boards and hang ten as the crowd cheered from the beach.

Judges scrutinized how long the dogs remained on their boards, how long they held their balance and whether they performed any tricks, like turning around while riding.

Iza, a 5-year-old French bulldog, won the single surfer heat for medium-size dogs for the first time this year, her owner David Fasoli said.

Fasoli found “pure joy” during the pandemic when he brought home a surfboard from his job at Costco and taught Iza to balance in the swimming pool. The two soon started swimming in the ocean and learning to ride waves as passersby at the beach watched in awe. Now, their competitions are all about defying expectations.

“I have a disability — I only have one hand — so a nonsporting human combined with a nonsporting dog breed, we are kind of phenomenal, defying the odds of what people think we're capable of doing,” Fasoli said after Saturday's competition.

Charlie, who has his own Instagram page, entered the extra-large single surfer heat. He also rode tandem with two other dogs in what their humans called “The Dream Team.”

“He loves the crowd,” owner Maria Nieboer said.

Charlie and Nieboer's husband, Jeff Nieboer, prepare for waves together. When Jeff spots a good one, he turns the board around and tells Charlie to “get ready.”

He pushes the board forward, and Charlie scrunches down and rides the wave as long as he can. Charlie can even steer the board by leaning and surfs toward an awaiting Maria on shore.

He doesn't have to be rewarded with treats for any of it.

“Charlie does what Charlie wants to do once we’re in the water,” Jeff said.

Contest winners received medals and bragging rights.

Charlie's “Dream Team” compatriot, fellow yellow lab Rosie, was in four heats. The 4-year-old's owner, Steve Drottar, said she is “stoked” after they go surfing, which they do four to five times a week back home in Santa Cruz.

“It’s like, hey, we actually did something today, right? We did something together as a team," Drottar said. “And the fact that you can do something as a team with your dog creates a different bond than you have when you just take your dog for a walk.”

He can tell Rosie feels a sense of accomplishment afterward because she is extra happy, wags her tail extra hard and snuggles even more than usual.

“It’s like we go home on the couch and it feels like she’s saying, ‘Thank you,’ ” Drottar said.

Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Faith the surfing Pitbull gets pushed through the breakers by James Wall during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Jeff Nieboer pushes Charlie Surfs Up through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Coconut is pushed through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

David Fasoli carries Iza Surf Dog through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Don Horn helps Petey catch a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

David Fasoli, left, and Mike Wall help Iza Surf Dog catch a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Carson Surf Dog jumps off his board after catching a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

FILE - Rusty the surfing minpin catches a wave in the second heat of small dogs during the World Dog Surfing Championships. on Aug. 3, 2024, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard, File)

FILE - Charlie Surfs Up barks as he is pushed through the breakers by Jeff Nieboer in the second heat of very large dogs during the World Dog Surfing Championships, on Aug. 3, 2024, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard, File)

Philippe Bachmann, left, and David Fasoli help Coconut and Iza Surf Dog catch a wave together during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Faith the surfing Pitbull gets pushed through the breakers by James Wall during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Jeff Nieboer pushes Charlie Surfs Up through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Coconut is pushed through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

David Fasoli carries Iza Surf Dog through the breakers during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Don Horn helps Petey catch a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

David Fasoli, left, and Mike Wall help Iza Surf Dog catch a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Carson Surf Dog jumps off his board after catching a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

FILE - Rusty the surfing minpin catches a wave in the second heat of small dogs during the World Dog Surfing Championships. on Aug. 3, 2024, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard, File)

FILE - Charlie Surfs Up barks as he is pushed through the breakers by Jeff Nieboer in the second heat of very large dogs during the World Dog Surfing Championships, on Aug. 3, 2024, in Pacifica, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly dipped in Monday morning trading as worries continued about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the U.S. war with Iran.

The drops in Asia follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 4.5% in morning trading to 50,979.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2% to 8,417.00. South Korea's Kospi dove 3.2% to 5,264.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.7% to 24,519.63, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 3,884.57.

Worries have been great in Japan and the rest of Asia about the effective lack of access to the Strait of Hormuz because of the war in Iran, as the region relies greatly on such access for oil shipments.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude jumped $2.28 to $101.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, soared $2.88 to $115.45 a barrel. Before the war, brent had been price at about $70 to a barrel.

Investors are now bracing for the war to last for some time, which would likely set off inflation in global markets, and eventually may stunt Asia's economic growth.

“Although we do not expect the conflict to be protracted, we anticipate heightened volatility in the near term,” said Xavier Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research.

Oil prices are again climbing after momentarily easing when President Donald Trump extended a self-imposed deadline to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants to April 6.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 1.7% to close its worst week since the war with Iran began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 793 points, or 1.7%, and fell more than 10% from its record set last month, while the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1%.

The S&P 500 is 8.7% below its all-time high set in January. Big Tech stocks were among the heaviest weights on the market, including Amazon and Nvidia.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 108.31 points to 6,368.85 last Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 793.47 to 45,166.64, and the Nasdaq composite sank 459.72 to 20,948.36.

In the bond market, the yield for the 10-year Treasury rose as high as 4.48% before pulling back to end last week at 4.43%. That’s up from 4.42% late Thursday and from just 3.97% before the war began.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched down to 159.97 Japanese yen from 160.32 yen. The euro cost $1.1505, down from $1.1510.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Workers walk in an area at a degassing station in Zubair oil field, whose operations have being reduced due to the Mideast war triggered by the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, near Basra, Iraq, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A person walks by an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index in Tokyo Monday, March 30, 2026. (Yusuke Hashizume/Kyodo News via AP)

A dealer walks near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Dealers work near the screens showing the foreign exchange rates at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Dealers work near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), right, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)