Our Canadian Coldwater surf champ!

Wow, well it’s been a while since I’ve posted here.  It has been a pretty busy month for me.  I knew I’d be at the surf comp for at least a few days – the week-long O’Neill Coldwater Classic was held in Tofino the last week of October, the first time ever that an international pro surf competition has come to Canada.

But the event just got more and more exciting as local boy Pete Devries made it through heat after heat after heat.  By the Saturday, he’d advanced into the quarter finals.  By now, down to the last 8 competitors of the original 144 (most of the top-ranked surfers who are seeded on the international tour, and from all over the world), there was almost no waiting between Pete’s heats.  More quickly than most of us could realize it, suddenly our boy had won the competition!

There were about 1000 people on the beach to watch Pete in the finals – some people even estimate 2000!

People walked away from their jobs, and businesses just closed up, locked their doors, so they could watch Pete surf.  I have never seen the entire population of Tofino so united and positive.  Talking to Keven Drews, editor of the Westcoaster newspaper, we both were just so happy to be “media” covering such a happy story.

So, finally, I am posting some photos of Pete surfing here at the Coldwater Classic.  And you can read and listen to my reports about the event, including:

– an article in The Tyee newspaper

– radio piece about Pete Devries for CBC Radio

– radio piece about surfers Pete Devries and Noah Cohen for local radio CHMZ

– radio piece about the Canadian surf scene for ABC Radio Australia