Friday, October 30, 2009

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.

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