O'Neill Cold Water Classic Sees Short Day, Freesurfs Abound

Morning broke in Tofino to clear skies and screaming winds. A far cry from the rain and glass that marked yesterday’s opener at the Cold Water Classic Canada. With the peaks at Cox Bay torn to ribbons by the onshores, the powers that be relocated the mobile event north to a more protected cove in hopes of gaining some reprieve from the howling gusts. But to no avail, the weather—as I’m told it often does in this neck of the woods—has a mind of its own and continued to reek havoc on the comp, forcing officials to call off the event for the day with only a handful of heats completed.

Of those who donned frozen jerseys, Aussie Wade Goodall threw down a litany of turns and punts to the tune of 9s from the judges, leaving him with the highest heat score of the day at 17 points. Other standouts were coldwater connoisseur and O’Neill’s own Keiran Horn, who won his heat in the trying conditions with the remarkable display of rail surfing that has made him legendary.

With the event finished by 11 am, there was one dying question left in the minds of the media: What in God’s name do you do in Tofino on a down day? Simply put, nothing and everything. After the event was called, a sizeable swatch of competitors ventured to a peak rumored to be sheltered from the elements. And by all accounts, they completely scored.

“Yeah man, the waves were super fun over at XXXX. [For civilities sake, the spot will remain nameless.] It was pretty clean and rippable, eh? Pretty darn good stuff, ” said South African junior sensation Rudy Palmboom on his strike mission to Spot X.

Others chose to give their 5/4 and booties a rest for the day and lay low, opting to cruise at the Long Beach Lodge that overlooks the primary holding position for the event where they feasted on lounge music, lip-puckering Canadian wine, and the warmth of a fire. The lodge is reminiscent of an upscale Volcom house, except they play Feist and Erykah Badu.

For Tofino locals, their pride remains with their hometown hero, Peter Devries, who put on a blistering performance on the first day of competition, taking home the day’s highest heat score in the process with a pair of massive punts. From the manager at the lodge to the cashier at the market, the collective hopes of Tofino are pinned on Devries. In Round 2, he will have his work cut out for him as he faces what is arguably one of the most talented surfers alive today in the form of Hawaii’s Dusty Payne.

The call for tomorrow is reported to be similar to today with windy conditions dominating the weather pattern. Keep your browsers honed on Surfermag.com as we continue to bring you the action from the coldest contest of the year.