Chris Bertish Crowned Mavericks Champion

After more than three months of waiting, contestants and fans alike were rewarded for their patience with an historic day for big-wave surfing, as Chris Bertish etched his name in Mavericks lore and was crowned champion of the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest® Presented by Sony Ericsson and Barracuda Networks. With waves described by the competitors as some of the biggest they have ever paddled into, and in front of a crowd of approximately 50,000 fans, Bertish outlasted Shane Desmond, Anthony Tashnick, Dave Wassel, Carlos Burle, and Kenny “Skindog” Collins to claim the Jim Beam Jersey and a $50,000 check from prize purse sponsors Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision and Barracuda Networks. The total prize purse of $150,000 was the largest in big-wave surfing history, with $50,000 going to Bertish, $25,000 to Desmond in second, $15,000 to Tashnick in third, $10,000 to Wassel in fourth, $8,000 to Burle in fifth, and $6,000 to Collins in sixth.
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Save The Waves Film Festival Rocks San Francisco

On Friday night, San Francisco’s surfer and environmentalist communities came together for a very special event at the Victoria
Theatre: the first annual Save The Waves Film Festival, merging film, art, music, surf and environment together into a seamless blend of stoked fun and heartfelt love for the oceans.

Featuring the infamous Plastic Wave (barreled by plastic), the SF premiere of “Lost Prophets” and Captain Paul Watson presenting “The Cove”, as early as 6pm a line snaked around the block past the immigrants, pimps and traffic on Mission Street. Area hipsters in skinny jeans and fixed-gear bikes were greeted by a completely sold- out Victoria Theatre, environmental activists drank plenty of beer and “Save The Waves” shone hard in bright marquee lights high above 16th Street.
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O’Neill Cold Water Classic Day – FINALS

Californian surfer Nathan Yeomans won the O’Neill Cold Water Classic California on a perfect final day of competition at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz.

“I’m so stoked. I can’t even talk,” said Nathan after his victory. “To win in my home state, and to win a 6 Star Prime event in such an iconic location, and to be up there with the guys who have won this event in its history is incredible,” he said. “I am just so stoked.”

It was a final of epic proportions – not just because of the surfing on display. Some of the biggest sets of the week came as if on cue into the final heat.

“There were a lot of waves coming at me with about 10 minutes to go,” said the O’Neill CWC California runner up, Australian, Heath Joske. “When those sets came through, about 30 of them hit me in the head one after the other. I got battered,” he said. “But it’s the way of the ocean.”
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O’Neill Cold Water Classic Day #6

It was a day in which history was made at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic California, as the massive swell that had been forecast finally hit Steamer Lane with force.

As the sets hit triple to quadruple overhead, producing the biggest conditions this competition has seen in its 12-year history, jet skis were deployed to help the surfers through the turmoil.

“This is the biggest swell we’ve seen here this season,” said local surfer and O’Neill Wetsuits Marketing Manager, Kieran Horn, who won this competition in 2003, and is now the only Santa Cruz surfer through to the quarterfinals.

In addition, the first ever O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series winner was decided today and will be presented with the award after the finals tomorrow. Australian Blake Thornton has claimed the staggering US$50,000 prize money despite being knocked out in the round of 96 here in Santa Cruz after both Jarrad Howse and Adam Melling failed to reach the points they needed to beat Blake to the prize.
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O’Neill Cold Water Classic Day #5

It was a heat of Hollywood script proportions on this third day of competition at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic South Africa. The legend – Tom Curren, the South African surfing star of the moment – Jordy Smith, the young up-and-coming kid from Hawaii – John John Florence, and the outsider from Huntington Beach – Shaun Ward.

It was the ending most probably would not have predicted.

Finishing top, with a heat score of 15.77 was Shaun Ward who has been fighting hard on the tour since loosing his sponsors at the beginning of the season. And it was an impressive fight to win.

“It’s funny because everyone’s been talking about that heat,” said Shaun. “Jordy is one of the best surfers in the world, hands down, and Tom is one of the best surfers of all time, and John John is kind of the prodigy, and I was kind of the underdog, but I like it,” he said.
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O’Neill Cold Water Classic Day #2

The swell might have dropped slightly, but the competition definitely stepped up on this second day of the O’Neill Cold Water Classic California.

With five ASP World Tour surfers in the water today it was always going to be a day of surfing not to be missed.

World number three Adriano De Souza came top of his heat – the first in the round of 96 – when the event started in the Californian sunshine.

“It’s important for me to compete in the California events because I’m living here,” Adriano said. Talking about his current standing in the world rankings he said: “I didn’t set a goal of being in third or winning a title this year, but I just wanted to do better this year than I did last year. It’s great though.”
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New Swell Delivers

Surfers competing in the opening day of The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star PRIME O’Neill Cold Water Classic California were greeted with clean four foot waves at Santa Cruz’s famed pointbreak of Steamer Lane to kickoff the event’s proceedings.

The O’Neill Cold Water Classic California has undergone a major upgrade from previous years, boosting the event’s rating from an ASP 4-Star to an ASP 6-Star PRIME, which offers the maximum amount of points available towards qualification for the 2010 ASP World Tour. In addition to the premier event, the Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships will be running in conjunction with the contest.

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O’Neill CWC California kicks off in perfect conditions.

O’Neill CWC California kicks off in perfect conditions.

The final stop on the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series got underway today in perfect conditions – clean one meter swell coming in to Steamer Lane, the sun shining and a host of talented surfers putting on an impressive show in Santa Cruz, California. Read more

Top Seeds Prep for ASP 6-Star PRIME O’Neill Cold Water Classic California

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series 6-Star PRIME O’Neill Cold Water Classic California will see some of the world’s best up-and-coming surfers battle for the crucial ratings points available towards the 2010 ASP World Tour from November 2 through 8, 2009 at Santa Cruz’s prized pointbreak of Steamer Lane.

Several ASP Dream Tour Surfers including Californians Timmy Reyes (Huntington Beach, CA), 27, Nathaniel Curran (Oxnard, CA), 25, current ASP World No. 3 Adriano de Souza (Guaruja Sao Paulo, BRA), 22, South African talent Jordy Smith (Durban, ZAF), 21, and Roy Powers (Hanalei, HI), 28, will tackle hungry up-and-comers including Dusty Payne (Lahaina, HI), 20, and talented South African Brandon Jackson (Durban, ZAF), 22, who are out to solidify their spot amongst next year’s elite.

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Mavricks Surf Contest Window Opens Nov 1

The Official 2009/2010 Mavericks Contest Window Opens on November 1, 2009

On just 24 hours notice between November 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, 24 of the world’s best big-wave surfers will be summoned to Half Moon Bay, home of Mavericks, one of the most majestic and infamous surf breaks on Earth. There, they will test their individual skills and vie to be crowned champion of the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest® Presented by Sony Ericsson.

Competitors will face the dangerous elements of the frigid northern California waters in search of the perfect ride on waves reaching heights of 30 to 40 feet or more.
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