STEAMER LANE, SANTA CRUZ, California – Men's round 1 and 2 off to a bumpy start with extreme weather conditions battering the Northern California coast. The torrential down poor, winds gusting at an estimated 40 miles per hour, flooding, and power outages are nothing new to the O'Neill Cold Water Classic and did not hinder the enthusiasm of competitors participating in the early rounds of competition.

Held during late winter in previous years with often grueling conditions ranging from heavy rainstorms to the occasional snow shower, the event was re-positioned to late Fall in 2002 to capitalize on favorable weather patterns. Ironically, the Cold Water Classic has commenced with the first major winter storm of the year.

Despite the adverse weather conditions there were waves. Steamer lane produced consistent surf through out the day in the 4'-5' range with calm conditions in the afternoon. Swell & weather conditions are favorable moving into Wednesday for rounds 3 (192) and 4 (160), with surf forecast in the 6'-8' foot range.

It was evident, in the shifty conditions Local knowledge played to the advantage of competitors from Santa Cruz with Josh Loya, Shane Desmond, Anthony Tashnick, and Julian Secon, all advancing on to the next round. One local stand out was Nat Young, the 13-year-old grom who gained entry into the event via a wild card earned at the O'Neil Grom Prix last weekend, who will surf again in heat 16 on Wednesday. Other standout performances were seen by Dede Suryana of Indonesia posting the highest combination score of 16.4 and sharing the top single score of 8.5 with Randy "Goose" Welch (Maui) and Dennis Rizzo.

Competition will be fierce all week with nearly $100,000 in cumulative purses at stake. The world’s elite will continue square off against America’s top rising stars in the four-star men's and women's Association of Surfing Professionals' (ASP), World Qualifying Series (WQS) competitions at legendary Steamer Lane. Look for daily updates with photos and video in addition to live scoring on http://www.oneillcwc.asglive.com/.

The O'Neill Cold Water Classic is supported by Coors Original, Surfer Magazine, Surfing Magazine, SG Magazine, Red Bull, FUEL TV and ASP North America.

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ABOUT O'NEILL: O'Neill is the world's original surf brand. The family-owned and operated company distributes its products to 85 countries, including more than 2,000 specialty wetsuit and clothing retailers in the U.S. Consumer information is available at www.oneill.com.

ABOUT THE ACTION SPORTS GROUP (ASG): Reaching more than 2 million enthusiasts, PRIMEDIA's Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, SG, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, PRIMEDIA's ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.

Press Contacts: Mike Kingsbury, Cherie Whyte MKM, (714) 375-2188 mike@boardom.com