O'Neill Cold Water Classic hits the wilds of South Africa

By: wetsanduser1 | June 17th, 2009 at 4:23pm

Jordy Smith : photo courtesy O'Neill

ASP 4-Star WQS Mens event
Cape Peninsula South Africa
20 - 24 June 2009

The O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series hits the wilds of South Africa

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 17 June, 2009 : - - Cape
Town, South Africa -- It started in a remote corner at edge of the
world where the Southern Ocean pounds the isolated Tasmanian shoreline.
The O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series then moved up to the northern
town of Thurso in Scotland for its perfect but freezing reef breaks.

The southernmost and northernmost events in professional
surfing brought together exploration and competition within the depths
of nature. And now come the wilds...

Cape Town with its selection of treacherous waves around the
Cape Peninsula under the towering cliffs of the Table Mountain Range,
is home to the third stop on the O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series.
From June 20 until June 24, the world's best surfers, including South
African World Tour star and event ambassador, Jordy Smith, will venture
to the rugged surf spots scattered around the Cape Peninsula to brave
the elements.

With water temperatures around 10 degrees, heavy winter storms
generating consistent and potentially huge swells, the prevalence of
bull kelp around many of the surf spots and the threat of Great White
Sharks (against which precautions will be taken), the O'Neill Cold
Water Classic South Africa can rightly claim to be the 'wildest event
in professional surfing'.

"It's going to be an incredible event," says Jordy Smith,
winner of the inaugural Cold Water Classic Series event in Tasmania.
"Cape Town offers an amazing variety of waves. There are both sides of
the peninsular to choose from, which can hold all types of swell - but
it can get pretty extreme out there."

Keeping the event mobile as with the rest of the series, there
are a huge variety of waves to choose from during the week for the 4
Star ASP WQS event. Misty Cliffs, a favourite wave of Jordy's in the
area, is just one of the world-class beach breaks on offer with fast,
hollow waves.

A few of the other options include Outer Kom - an open ocean
left hand reef break featuring a radical drop outside a giant kelp bed
and a great barrel section, Crayfish Factory - a heavy right hander
with a ledging reef takeoff before running down a kelp infested point,
and Kalk Bay - a dredging left hand barrel across a very shallow slab
of reef that provides potential 10 point tube rides.

"The Cape Town event is going to be awesome," says Australian
surfer Jarrad Howse, just one of the top name surfers who is following
the entire Cold Water Classic Series. "I've been there once but never
surfed, so I'm looking forward to getting there early and exploring the
variety of world class reef and beach breaks on offer before the rest
of the competitors arrive."

Paul Canning, O'Neill's South African marketing manager is
eagerly anticipating the Cold Water Classic Series' arrival in Cape
Town.
"The standard has been set pretty high with the opening two
events especially in so far as surf," he said. "I hope we get some nice
big storms over the week of our event so we are able to continue this
high quality."

Living up to its promise to explore the wilds and venture into
the unknown, the CWC Series has so far exceeded all expectations.

"The surfers all love it," says Jarrad Howse. "It has created
an experience that's so different to the typical warm water, junky
surf, hotels on the beach style," he said. "It has incorporated travel,
exploration and discovery and tested us all with freezing water - but
with the opportunity to surf good waves in amazing locations."

In addition, with its own Series ranking list, there is also $50,000 up for grabs for the winner.

Currently leading the Series is the CWC Scotland winner Lord
Adam Melling. However with the Series well and truly underway there is
going to be some stiff competition in South Africa including the likes
of former World Tour Champion Sunny Garcia as well as young Hawaiian
talent John John Florence and local legend Sean Holmes.

A 4-Star event on the ASP World Qualifying Series, the CWC
South Africa still rewards the surfers with just as many CWC Series
points as the other six star CWC events - bringing them ever closer to
that $50,000 prize money as the series winner.

Adam Melling is closely followed in the rankings by Joan Duru,
Yuri Sodre and Nathan Hedge and Scotland's runner up Lord Luke Munro.

Despite winning the inaugural Cold Water Classic event in
Tasmania, the South African WCT start Jordy Smith was forced to miss
Scotland with clashing events, but still sits in 6th place on the
rankings list - and will be one of the favourites in his home country.

- Advertisement -