Face of Canadian Surfing

On a sunny Halowe'en day with a crowd cheering him on through the most awesome waves of this week's competition, Canadian Pete DeVries won the first ever ASP world qualifying event on Canadian shores. Carried on the shoulders of his fans, the conquering hero rode in to accept the trophy to deafening cheers of all the people who came out to support this local Tofino surfer. DeVries grew up just steps away from North Chesterman Beach, where this final day of Canada's O'Neill Coldwater Classic was held. For that last defining heat, Pete pulled out all the stops, conquering every wave that came his way.

It was an incredible day to be a surf fan, a Canadian and right here on the beach where surf history was made!

surfergrrrrrl,
signing off :)

Defying Gravity and the Elements

Day 6 of the Canada O'Neill Coldwater Classic: the action moved back to North Chesterman Beach, unrecognizable from the other day with high tide eroding the sand, vast uncrossable puddles and the rock where I sat making a phonecall on my first nearly underwater. Then there was the rain, a little drizzle at first and then pouring down hard in the afternoon while people huddled under the tents with hot coffee trying to stay warm.

But when you're in the water, you're already wet so it didn't deter in the least the spectacular show playing out over the waves. Cory Lopez put on a masterful display as he flew in and around the peaks and valleys of the waves, conjuring up the word "fluid". He had it all - moves, execution and style choreographed to inspire and awe. Cory had today's highest single wave score at 9.50.

In one of the final three-men heats, two surfers launched from the east and west side of the same peak, causing viewers and camera lenses to richochet from one end of the beach to the other and back to catch all the excitement. It was an apt signal for the upcoming duels, as heats were reduced to two competitors per heat as we head towards the final victor.

More good news - local Pete DeVries made it into the quarterfinals. Once they've determined the location for the final contest this morning, I'll be there, on the beach, watching surf history unfold.

Walk on water - Day 5 at the Canada O'Neill Coldwater Classic

Day 5 of the Canada O'Neill Coldwater Classic had it all - starting with short but clean and sometimes frustrating waves during high tide that had competitors in so close to shore they were performing almost right in front of the judge's tent, much to photographers' delight. Then
the ocean took a deep breath and surfers paddled back and forth trying to stay warm while life and death minutes ticked away on the heat. It kicked back into high gear as the day progressed with increasingly chaotic and fog-enshrouded waves, dropping to low tide.

It was man vs. ocean as competitors waited out lulls and when the action hit, two, sometimes three surfers progressive waves in a set, giving the crowd a thrill. Hometown heroes Pete Devries and Shannon Brown showed their knowledge of the local surf to great point advantage.

Today was a battle of the masters as only two of the three men competing in each heat would go on in the contest. But when you play with the ocean, nothing is a sure thing. During one heat it seemed the lead changed places each time a surfer caught a new wave. And then there was the incredible contest between DeVries and Ireland's Glenn Hall. And it's not over yet.

Day 6 can only get more intense.

Wild Ride

This is undoubtedly the "coolest contest on the planet" - the O'Neill Coldwater Classic is currently in Tofino, BC after touching down in Tasmania, South Africa and Scotland, next stop southern California. This is the first world qualifying event from the Association of Professional surfers EVER to be held on Canadian shores. I caught up with the action on day 4 at Cox Beach.

Today, I climbed up to a perch on the rocks looking for a great shot, then with a little direction, found a closer vantage point, out where the surfers hang back waiting for a wave. The competition is run in heats and each surfer's two best waves are graded on a scale from 1 to 10. The aim is to determine the two competitors with the highest score who will go on into the next heat.

I saw some beautifully executed cutbacks, behind-the-scene antics as one surfer warmed up with kicks up to his chin, then mugged for the camera, and lots of great cameraderie and happy moods all round. People in the water and on the beach are here because of the passion they feel for the sport.

But tomorrow I'm going to take my wet weather gear no matter how the day starts out. First it was grey, then whisps of fog moved in front of my lens until it poured down rain and I had to run for cover. You can check out the current conditions at the Cox Beach webcam:
http://www.longbeachlodgeresort.com/site/video/cox_bay_tofino_webcam.html

The buzz is that 30-foot waves are expected for tomorrow so the competition may be moved back to North Chesterman beach tomorrow (where it was held on Day 3). Like any sports contest, weather, wind and in this case, wave conditions determine the playing field and you can either follow the loudspeaker to the source (as I did this morning walking along North and South Chesterman and then down the highway) or you call call Tofino bus (www.tofinobus.com) each morning for the 4-1-1. And don't forget to ask where their next pickup is - rides are free all this week from an hour before to an hour after the competition.

surfergrrrrrl, thrilled to the max to be here