Britain’s top ranked surfer, Sam Lamiroy, takes to the water as the Coldwater Classic returns for a particularly chilly stop in the far north of Scotland.
The winter might be officially over but, for the 130 or so surfers tackling the waves of the Pentland Firth, it will feel anything but summery!
The tour which also visits Australia, South Africa and California is taking place in Thurso – where the average water temperature is just 6°c!
"It’s been pretty cold," said local legend Andy Bain, who will be presenting the winner of the 6-Star ASP event with a Highland sword.
"The river has been freezing up," he said. "There were a couple days you couldn’t even surf Thurso East because of the chunks of ice coming down the river."
As well as a sword, $50,000 in prize money is also on offer for the series’ winner.
Australian Stuart Kennedy is the leader so far having emerged victorious on the first stage of the tour in Tasmania, Australia last month – just ahead of the Brazilian Wiggolly Dantas.
From the most southerly event in professional surfing the attention now switches to the northernmost post for pro surfing.
Kennedy is in action again but, with the likes of Lamiroy, Nat Young, Cory Lopez, Shaun Cansdell and Timmy Reyes also making the trip up to Scotland’s north coast, the Aussie will be facing stiff competition.
The event begins this Tuesday, with the final scheduled for next Monday. For more details hit www.oneill.com/cwc
For the latest on Lamiroy, visit the surfer's personal website at samlamiroy.com
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