James Pribram, left, Tanna Frederick, Peter Townend and Tosh Townend will be taking part in the third annual Project Save Our Surf, a 24-hour charity surfing tournament featuring pro and celebrity surfers. (Scott Smeltzer /June 14, 2010)


Tanna Frederick will not be acting when she mounts her surfboard by the Huntington Beach Pier this weekend.

But she wouldn't mind taking home an award.

Frederick, the founder and co-organizer of Project Save Our Surf: SURF 24, will be among the actors taking the waves alongside professional surfers in the third annual charity event. Her team, the Redheaded Furies, consists largely of people who surf in their spare time, and it may take a little, well, fury for them to outscore some of the highest-profile surfers in the region.

"I have a lot of aggressive people on my team," said Frederick, who recently starred in "Hollywood Dreams," the film festival favorite. "I have people who surf all the time and want to be pro surfers."

Frederick, though, is quick to note that whichever team wins the 24-hour surf-a-thon, the ultimate winner is the ocean. The proceeds from Project Save Our Surf will be split evenly among three environmental charities: Heal the Bay, the Surfrider Foundation and Inside the Outdoors.

The fundraiser, which Frederick launched in Santa Monica two years ago, is making its Surf City debut this year. The action begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and continues nonstop until noon Sunday, with live music, mural-painting, eco-friendly vendors and more around Pier Plaza.

The 10 teams competing include five sponsored by athletic brands and dominated by pro surfers – Mary Osborne, Buttons Kaluhiokalani and Courtney Conlogue are among those expected to compete – and five recreational teams consisting of amateurs. Each team will be joined by two celebrity surfers, including actors Chad Lowe, Sean Patrick Flanery and Zoe Bell.

Teams can consist of between six and 24 members – the only requirement is that a surfer representing each group is on the water every hour. At the end of the fundraiser, the team that made the highest overall score wins a Nixon gold engraved watch for each member.

Huntington Beach surfer Peter "PT" Townend, who co-organized the event this year with Frederick, noted that since a surfing score depends in part on the power of the wave, an underdog may just come out on top.

"Over 24 hours, consistency will win," he said. "No question."

If You Go

What: Project Save Our Surf: SURF 24

Where: Pier Plaza, Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach

When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday to noon Sunday

Info: http://www.projectsaveoursurf.org