Tofino Hosting Canada’s First-Ever Pro Surfing Comp!
Karl Woll | October 8, 2009 4:21 pm
The Cold Water Classic Canada surfing competition is coming to Tofino Oct 25 – 31. This is the first professional surfing competition ever held in Canada.
“On the west coast of Vancouver Island in Tofino, freezing water and air temperatures, bears on the ground, whales in the water and even the chance of snow, awaits 144 professional surfers from around the world for the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Canada – the coldest event in professional surfing.”
How awesome is that!
You can read the official O’Neill press release here, or the article from MetroNews Vancouver below:
Canada’s first-ever professional surfing competition hits the waters off Vancouver Island next month.
The Cold Water Classic Canada, which runs Oct. 25 to 31, will bring more than 100 professional surfers to Tofino, as well as spectators and about 50 media.
“It solidifies our tagline of being the Surfing Capital of Canada,” said Lynda Kaye, a spokeswoman for Tourism Tofino.
“If (the water) is anything like I’m looking at right now — pro surfers are going to be happy,” said Kaye, whose Tofino office overlooks the ocean.
“(The surf) is not steamer-lane, Santa Cruz big, it’s not huge, rip-curl, Hawaii big, but there are surfers in our water every day of the year.”
Temperatures, she added, are consistent with other surfing places in the Pacific Northwest at about 10 C.
The contest is the first professional surfing competition sponsored by the Association of Surfing Professionals to be held in Canadian waters.
It is the fourth in a series of five events held in balmy locales like the coasts of Scotland and Tasmania, and it is part of a World Qualifying Series that carries a total purse of $145,000.
“We expect the town to be a hubbub of activity,” said Kaye, adding the Olympic torch relay visits Tofino on Nov. 1, the day after the competition ends.
“For a town that basically takes a break after the summer, we’re going to be on fire into the first part of fall.”
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One Response to “Tofino Hosting Canada’s First-Ever Pro Surfing Comp!”
I really wanted to go check this out! Sadly my schedule just doesn’t work out to be there that weekend. I’ll be going just before on Oct 16/17 etc…
Here’s hoping the weather holds up for the competition… it tends to be foggy in October and messy waves.
I hope Canada puts on a good showing for the comp! We need more of these
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