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