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DAY TWO OF THE O'NEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC PRESENTED BY JEEP® BRAND Competition Gets Tough As Surfers Battle It Out On The Third Stop of Macy's California Trifecta Series Santa Cruz, Calif., October 20, 2005 – The sun broke through the morning fog at Steamer Lane for day two of the O'Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep® Brand. In spite of a temporary delay in the early afternoon, surfers pushed through 16 heats of round three for a solid day of surfing. The four-star O'Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep Brand is the third and final stop of the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series and the final World Qualifying Series (WQS) event on the U.S. mainland. The event has drawn surfers from around the world to compete for the valuable late season WQS points and the huge $75,000 prize purse as well as the bonus prize of $5000 awarded to the Trifecta points leader. In the early morning, contest organizers considered going mobile and moving the contest to Waddell Creek, a beach break 20 miles north of Santa Cruz, but the decision was made to remain at Steamer Lane. “The swell at Steamer Lane started to pull through as the morning progressed and the whole vibe was just better at the Lane,” said Darren Brilhart, Cold Water Classic competition director. “With the set waves that have come through the Lane today, we're certain it was a good decision.” If the waves do not cooperate tomorrow the contest will go mobile, but as long as there are contestable waves the O'Neill Cold Water Classic will continue at Steamer Lane . Organizers are looking forward to Sunday when the first major northwest swell of the season is expected to arrive. Rob Machado opened up the contest and 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 and secure a 7.33. With two minutes remaining, Machado found a backup wave and sealed the win, ripping a little inside runner to shreds for a 6.17 to oust then heat leader Casey Brown from the top spot. In heat four, young Tonino Benson of Hawaii found himself up against competitors twice his age as he faced Homer Henard, Bryan Jennings and Jaymes Triglone. Henard took the lead early with a sneaker set wave right on the opening buzzer and was followed by Jennings on the next wave. The competition got tough in the closing minutes with Benson making the first move on a wide set wave, slashing all the way through to the cliffs and earning a solid 7.93, enough to move to first. Henard came back with a 6.23 to regain the lead and Jennings was right behind him again, posting a 6.63 to take over the second spot. The heat closed down with Henard and Jennings taking first and second to advance. The contest was postponed after heat five because of the high tide, but conditions improved, and the contest picked up again shortly after 1:30 p.m. with Bud Frietas, Bryan Doonan, Justin Quirk and Dede Suryana matching up in heat six. Frietas led the heat with two solid rides and put together a combined two-wave score of 14.50. Trying to keep pace, Dede Suryana came in second with a 9.50, leaving Quirk and Doonan in third and fourth respectively. Josh Loya dominated heat nine and continued to advance, taking first place ahead of Hawaiian Kyle Rammey and followed by Dennis Rizzo and Ryan Hanrahan in third and fourth respectively. Heat 12 featured a close battle between Floridian Eric Geiselman, locals Noi Kaulukakui and Anthony Ruffo. The waves dipped some and the low tide exposed more kelp, slowing things down and leaving competitors scrambling to put together two solid scores. In the closing minutes of the heat, Ruffo was standing on a low 1.40 and a decent 4.40 in third place when he took off on the first wave of the set and came up short with only a 4.10. Thinking he may not make it through, Ruffo took a risk by sitting wide to catch one of the inside waves with only 12 seconds left. With some hard turns moving top to bottom, Ruffo scored a solid 5.73 and jumped from first to third. “I knew I couldn't give up out there,” said Ruffo. “I've been competing in this contest for 20 years and it's always the same out there when the conditions get like this. You can take the gamble of waiting for a set wave out on the point or you can move over to the ‘Slots' and risk it there. I just got lucky.” In a dramatic finish to the day, Matt Archbold, sitting in third place with only one wave, caught the last wave of the heat in the closing seconds and edged past Scott Duntun and Nick Kovack to advance. Australian Mitch Coleborn, the only competitor in the heat to catch three waves, took the win. The contest will resume tomorrow and is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. with 16 heats of round four and 16 heats of round five. The location will be confirmed at 7:30 a.m., based on the behavior of the swell and the fog. Should the conditions at Steamer Lane not be contestable, the event will move to Waddell Creek, 20 miles north of Santa Cruz. For more information on the O'Neill Cold Water Classic and live scoring please visit, www.cwc05.asglive.com . FUEL TV will telecast the O'Neill Cold Water Classic on November 28, 2005. For additional dates and specific times visit www.fuel.tv . The O'Neill Cold Water Classic is also supported by Oakley, Coors, Surfer Magazine, Surfing Magazine, Surfing America and ASP North America . Check out the O'Neill Cold Water Classic and all of the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series surf spots at www.WaveWatch.com . Conditions for Friday will remain relatively the same with a slight drop in size. Expect mainly 1-3' surf at the Steamer Lane . There is a major increase on the way for Sunday's finals. The swell will begin to show late Saturday building rapidly during the morning hours Sunday. About O'Neill The heroic heritage of Jeep brand and its sport-utility mastery stretches back 65 years. In 2006, the Jeep brand continues to deliver on its promise to provide rugged, versatile, innovative four-wheel drive vehicles with the launch of the all-new 2006 Jeep Commander, and the introduction of the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass concept vehicles. Jeep's legendary capability has made it synonymous with words like freedom, adventure, mastery and authenticity. Whether it's through lifestyle programs, lifestyle activities, or innovative spectator events, the Jeep brand continues to help people expand their boundaries and life experiences. 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