The contest - which has been put on hold for the WQS surfers for the past few days - started off early with Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson advancing after posting a 12.60. In the same heat, fellow Surf City local Brad Ettinger came in third, only able to pull off a 9.24.

Huntington’s Micah Byrne also couldn’t pull it off, coming in last during his heat after getting a score of 9.60. Tim Reyes came in last during his heat, posting a 7.0.

It’s not over for Orange County surfers - Huntington Beach’s Shaun Ward will be up early when the contest resumes, which is looking good for tomorrow morning.

Simpson will follow shortly after, competing in heat 9 in the round of 48. Already at the top of the rankings for the WQS surfers, a good showing here could help solidify his placing on the World Tour.

Here’s what forecaster Mark Sponsler of stormsurf.com is  calling for the rest of the contest:

He is predicting increasing swell with solid contestable conditions throughout the remainder of the contest window this Sunday.
 

Forecast Overview:

On Saturday (11/7) things to get quite interesting with the arrival of the new Gulf swell. At the buoy swell of 12-14 ft @ 17 secs is expected with seas 17 ft @ 17 secs. But much less swell will make the wrap into the Lane with surf 4-6 ft overhead on the sets with maybe a few larger ones sneaking in. Wind to be light north at 5 kts early and holding till about 10 AM with glassy conditions though a distinct lump will be running through the swell. Then winds to start coming up from the northwest at 12-15 kts in the afternoon and sideshore modest chop expected outside of the point. Again a 3.5 ft tide early to actually favor the more sizeable swell coming up to 5.5 ft at 1 PM, swamping it a little but not nearly as bad as previous days, then dropping after that to 1.5 ft near sunset.
 
On Sunday (11/8) still solid swell from the Gulf gale is expected at 9-10 ft @ 15-16 secs early and seas to 13 ft @ 15 secs. This should result in surf of double overhead and maybe a few bigger ones with the lesser period allowing for a more effective wrap into the Lane. Winds again north at 5 kts early with a lurp running through the swell due to being generated relatively locally. Wind turning northwest near noon but not as strong as the day before, at only 10-12 kts or so adding a bit of texture and maybe light chop outside the point. Same basic tide set-up is expected with a 3.5 ft tide at sunrise slowly working up to a 5.1 ft high at 2 PM, then fading from there.
 
For all of the LIVE action log on to www.oneill.com/cwc/california. For additional Oakley Pro Junior action check out www.oakleyprojunior.com .

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If you want the chance to meet the first ASP World Champion then this is something to check out in the coming weeks. 

Peter ”PT” Townend will be hosting “Coffee Conversations, Talk Story and Bustin’ Down the Door at Huntington Surf and Sport.

The Aussie legend will be discussing surfboards and telling stories about what the surf scene was like back in the day. 

And if you’re in the market for a new stick, PT’s Santa Cruz surfboard model,the Stylemaster retro single fin will be available to check out or buy.

There will also be a ton of FREE giveaways and a drawing for a chance to win a FREE Santa Cruz Cruzer skateboard.

Where: Huntington Surf and Sport, 300 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach (714) 841-4000

When: November 14th, November 28th, December 12th and December 19th which is a special Groms day for Christmas.  Each event goes from 7 a.m to noon.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

The Harbour Surf Day - a day set aside for Harbour surfboard enthusiasts to celebrate Seal Beach shop owner Rich Harbour- is coming up on Saturday at tower 20 at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

The day started a few years back when a few Harbour owners were chatting on a message board and decided to get together to check out each other’s boards, and share some waves. Now celebrating the 7th Harbour Surf Day, the gathering at the last event drew 50 Harbour owners who get together on the sand.

“Harbour Day is for everyone, young and old, Harbour Owners, non-Harbour Owners, non-surfers, anybody who enjoys a good time with a positive attitude is welcome,” reads a blog announcing the event.

Harbour is celebrating 50 years of surfboard shaping. He started making boards after someone snagged his board, and he had to come up with a way for a new one. Knowing his parents wouldn’t fork over cash for a new one, he proposed the idea of making one to his dad, who worked as head of tool and dye for Douglas Aircraft.

He’s one of the few shapers that still does the work in the back of the shop. Here’s an article I had from last year’s event.

The event starts at dawn and goes into the afternoon. A group photo of Harbour owners happens at 10 a.m. A raffle will be held at around 11:30 a.m., and there will be food to grub.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

From Wednesday: OC surfers are coming through strong during this week’s O’Neill Cold Water Classic and Oakley Pro Junior up in Santa Cruz.

The Cold Water Classic – a WQS 6-star prime event – kicked off on Monday with solid surf conditions, but was put on hold today. Some of the best surfers in the world – including many from Orange County – are up north for the prestigious event.

A call is made at 7:30 each morning to determine whether the WQS or Junior event will be held.

The juniors went at it today, with Newport local and one of OC’s top young surfers Andrew Doheny winning his heat with a score of 13.37.

In the first round of junior’s events, Newport’s Chase Wilson advanced with a score of 12.00, but in that same heat Taylor Thorne, of Newport, was knocked out after coming in 4th place.

Capo Beach’s Luke Davis and San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino both placed first in their heats to advance.

In the pro event, several World Tour surfers are taking on the World Qualifying Series surfers, making the competition tough.

World Tour surfer Timmy Reyes, of Huntington Beach, had a great showing Tuesday with the heat of the day, finishing with scores of 9.33 and 8.50. 

“I knew where to sit out there,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been back and forth here my entire life. It makes it easy when you come to a place that you really like. I feel really good here.”

On the first day of the event, San Clemente’s Mike Losness was knocked out. HB’s  Micah Byrne had a great showing, with a score of 11.84 in heat 4 of round 128. He competed again Tuesday and made it through with a 10.03. 

Seal Beach’s Chris Waring also came in first during his heat, scoring a 13.33.

If the pros compete on Thursday, Huntington surfers Brett Simpson and Brad Ettinger will be going up against each other early in the day. Simpson is the top point holder in North America in the WQS rankings.

HB’s Shaun Ward will be going up against some tough competition, as he goes up against Jordy Smith and three-time world champ Tom Curren.
 
The pro competitors are battling it out in 13 degree waters to see if they can nab a piece of the $145,000 in prize money. The juniors are surfing for $10,000.

See it all  live at www.oneill.com/cwc/california

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More friends and family watching the memorial paddle-out from the Huntington Beach Pier cheer, and soon a chant starts: “Hawk! Hawk! Hawk!”

Surfboard shaper and ’70s icon Christopher Lee Hawk – also known as “the Hawk” — was remembered Sunday during a ceremony that brought hundreds of friends and family to the beach break where decades ago Hawk could be found taking barrel rides.

“It was a beautiful send-off for a perfect guy,” said his wife, Kathy.

Hawk, of San Clemente, died on Oct. 23 from throat cancer. He was 58.

Read the full story here.  Photos by Mike Goulding/Orange County Register

Post from: OC Beach Blog

If you want to watch the best men and women surfers in the business walking the nose and hanging ten, then this is an event you won’t want to miss.

The 2009 Professional Longboard Association is holding the PLA Pro Championships in a little more than a week from now. 

The ASP sanctioned  Longboard Qualifying Series contest is the final event of the five stop tour.

Some of the top talent competing from Orange County includes: San Clemente’s Josh Baxter who’s the current points leader in the North America longboard tour ratings andColin McPhillips who’s also from San Clemente.

Some of the notable names taking part in the women’s division include: Cardiff’s Cori Schumacher and Pacific Beach’s Jennifer Smith. 

The 2009 PLA Championships will also host a division for the best amateur longboarders and a stand up paddle board race.  For more info. check out surfpla.com.

When: Friday, November 13th, Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th

Where: Oceanside Pier

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Several of the world’s best big wave surfers gathered at one of the West Coast’s most popular big wave surf spots last weekend. 

The Mavericks Surf Contest held its opening ceremony for the 2009/2010 winter season.

Mother nature didn’t provide any surf for this yearly ritual, but a couple dozen big wave chargers gathered on the beach and in the water to bless the official waiting period of the prestigious event.

Some of the big wave surfers that took part in the festivities included: Santa Cruz’s Peter Mel, San Clemente’s Greg Long and Evan Slater.  Some of the other invited surfers that will be competing include: South Africa’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker, San Clemente’s Nathan Fletcher, Brock Little and Jamie Sterling.  

The official Mavericks Contest season opened on Sunday, November 1st and runs through March 31st 2010.  The 24 competing surfers will be given a 24-hour notice once the call has been made to start the event.  For more info. and contest alerts, go to maverickssurf.com.

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Fortunately, the waves were small early Saturday morning as about 100 surfers showed up at Blackies surf break in Newport Beach – just north of the Newport pier – for a fun gathering that had monsters snagging waves from pirates, a butler and a maid riding a party wave together, and Batman and Robin sharing a board tandem.

“This is always my favorite surf day of the year,” said Shelly Kapfhammer, a Newport Beach local dressed as Princess Leia. “It brings everyone out from the community, and makes you feel like a kid.”

Here’s some snapshots:

Read the full story from the day here, and check out a slideshow of photos here.

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One of North America’s most prestigious surf contests is just a couple days away from starting.  The 2009 O’neill Coldwater Classic will attract some of the world’s best surfers.

The 6-Star Prime ASP World Qualifying Series event happens at Santa Cruz’s most famous surf spot…Steamer Lane. 

Some of the notable names from Orange County competing in the big event include: Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson and San Clemente’s Nate Yeomans.

There are also a handful of Dream Tour surfers such as Jordy Smith, Adriano De Souza, Nathaniel Curran, Roy Powers and Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes taking part in the contest. 

19-year old Nat Young took home the win at last years prestigious event.  So we’ll have to wait and see if the Santa Cruz local boy can do it again.  For more info. or to watch the live action, go to oneillcwc.com.

When: Monday, November 2nd through Sunday, November 8th

Where: Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz

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If you were a friend of Huntington Beach surf legend Chris Hawk or you surfed with him over the years, then you’ll definitely want to attend his memorial and paddle out this Sunday.

The HB local and surfer/shaper lost his battle with oral cancer last Friday at his home in San Clemente.  

Since then, a makeshift memorial with surfboards, photos and flowers has been set up outside of Huntington Surf and Sport on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

If Chris Hawk ever shaped you a custom board or you just happen to have one of his surfboards in your quiver, then you’re encouraged to bring it to the paddle out and ride it!

When: Sunday, November 1st 11 a.m

Where: Northside of the Huntington Beach Pier

Post from: OC Beach Blog