Surfs Up: Vancouver Island Hosts Canada’s First Pro Surfing Competition
In professional surfing, it’s all about big waves – and the big prize. Come fall, Tofino, on Vancouver Island’s wild west coast, will set the scene for Canada’s first-ever contest amid some serious surf. Like ham and eggs, wetsuits and boards are a perfect pairing – so it seems fitting that O’Neill, makers of premier cold water-friendly gear, will host the 2009 Cold Water Classic Series, a battle of the best showcasing remote locations and world class waves.
Breaking out the boards during five events on four continents – which began in March 2009 in Tasmania and will culminate in November 2009 in Santa Cruz, California – the coolest contest on the planet promises to be in British Columbia, October 25 – 31. Here, over 100 professional surfers will hit the beaches, gunning for points, during this World Qualifying Series sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals; the competitor that secures the most marks throughout the series will take home the $145,000 purse.
And while the Great White North may be known more for snow than surf, BC’s rugged shorelines prove an ideal showcase for testing pointbreaks, reefs and beachbreaks, complete with winds and swells. Fog, snow, freezing temperatures and ice-cold water add to the extremity of this event; the same elements that ensure winters are wild and wonderful in Tofino.
This is, after all, a destination that has mastered the art of storm watching. Indeed, locals and visitors alike relish a season which allows not only for the best in Mother Nature’s fury, but an opportunity to hunker down and simply take in the wickedly wild view. With or without the surfboard.
September 1, 2009
Posted in: Canada