By: Alex Wilson

Early fog had contest organizers considering a move to Waddell Creek this morning, but after much debate, and an aborted venue change that left some staffers and contestants running back and forth along the coast, the 2005 O'Neill Coldwater Classic finally got underway today at Steamer Lane at about 9am.

Heat 1 hit the water under clear skies, and in typical fashion, Rob Machado came out of the gates firing, racking up three big fins-free slams on his backhand before wrapping a smooth cutback to end his first wave. That ride earned a 7.33, a score that Rob sat on without a decent backup for the majority of the heat. While Rob waited, the rest of the competitors went to work with Kent Doonan and Casey Brown seesawing back and forth in a battle for the top spot. But with 2-minutes remaining, Machado found the backup wave he was looking for, ripping a little inside runner to shreds for a 6.17 to oust heat leader Brown from the driver's seat. Unfortunately, after Rob's wave, a second fogbank rolled in like a damp blanket, putting the contest on delay with only 25 seconds remaining in the first heat.

Fog is fairly unusual in Santa Cruz during this time of year, but this particular bank proved to be persistent. The soup did clear enough however after about a half an hour to run the last 25-seconds of Heat 1. That unfortunately was a wave-less quarter minute, and it left Doonan behind both Brown and Machado, who advanced from Heat 1 in 1 st and 2 nd .

As the contest turned back on due to clearing skies, it became obvious that the swell had dropped off a touch from yesterday. Combined with the high tide, which was up throughout the morning, the fickle conditions made heat tactics a crucial element as the competitors were forced to battle for the best waves available in the inconsistent waist-to-chest-high conditions.

A long flat spell plagued Heat 2, which was an extremely slow 20 minutes. It saw only 4 score-able waves ridden; however local surfer Ryan Augustine managed to find the best bumps available. He was the only surfer in the heat to log two scoring rides and easily took 1 st while Zach Keenan advanced behind him with only a 3.50 under his belt.

Heat 3, for the most part, was much more consistent, and it saw San Diego North County ripper Jeremy Sherwin nab three very solid waves to post a series of scores that proved untouchable. Blazing through big powerful slashes, tail blows and cutbacks, Sherwin posted a pair of 8s on two nice set waves, easily claiming the heat's top position. “Watching the heat before mine, I figured I would have to take any wave that came my way,” said Sherwin after his win, “but then I saw Josh Mulcoy get a good one on the outside so I positioned myself out there, and right away I just saw a gem coming to me.” Sherwin's shrewd positioning nabbed him the best waves during his 20-minutes in the water in addition to a 1 st place birth into the next round. Mulcoy advanced behind him in 2 nd .

Santa Cruz local Homer Henard handily won his heat, Heat 4, while Newport 's David Giddings and Australian Jarrah Tutton advanced from Heat 5 in 1 st and 2 nd respectively.

With the peak of the high tide killing the swell, the contest was put on hold again after Heat 5, but after 3 hours worth of waiting things came back to life for Heat 6. In that heat, Bud Freitas, who was on fire yesterday, looked like he hadn't lost a degree of intensity, and on his forehand, he easily secured the top slot with a blazing carving attack. Indonesian surfer Dede Suryana advanced from Heat 6 behind Bud in 2 nd .

Heat 7 was hotly contested. Due to a steady flow of waves coming around the point the lead flip flopped regularly, but eventually Charlie Carroll and Danny Hart managed to take control, claiming 1 st and 2 nd to advance. But with all four surfers ripping right till the final moments, that result was by no means a certainty until the horn sounded.

Heat 8 was also action packed with Nick Lamb, Justin Swartz, and Jonny Craft all locking into some nice running walls. Sitting in 3 rd late in the heat, it was Swartz who took the win with a series of bashes and screaming roundhouse cutbacks that earned him an 8.0. That score would bump Craft into the 2 nd place transfer slot, leaving Santa Cruz grommet Nick Lamb sitting in 3 rd despite an admirable showing.

Josh Loya looked fluid and composed in Heat 9 and easily kept his Coldwater Classic campaign moving forward, while in Heat 12 Anthony Ruffo kept his hopes alive as well. Taking off on a lined up bump on the inside with only a minute remaining, Ruffo posted a high 5 to make a 3 rd to 1 st jump, claiming the top position in spectacular fashion and advancing one step further towards the finals.

Heat 16 of the 3 rd Round closed the day, and it turned out to be a nail biting battle for the transfer slot. Australian Mitchell Coleborn easily controlled 1 st place throughout with a pair of solid scores, however the race for 2 nd was a heated one. Catching absolutely nothing until just 4 minutes remained, San Clemente legend Matt Archbold finally went to work as time ticked down. Nabbing a wedge from the top of the point, Archie wracked up a 4.77 to move briefly into 2 nd . However, he was immediately overtaken by Hawaiian Scott Duntun. Refusing to go down without a fight, Archie battled back, and with just 30 seconds left posted a midrange 3 to claim the transfer slot and move into the next round.

With the contest running long today due to the fog and high tide delays, the light was quickly fading by the end of Heat 16. Announcing a call time of 7:30am tomorrow, contest organizers will once again make a decision between Waddell Creek and Steamer Lane for the opening heats of Round 4 tomorrow.