O'Neill Coldwater Classic 2010: Opening Day In Scotland

The surfers of the O'Neill Coldwater Classic 2010 pushed through the harsh conditions and cold water of the opening round to rack up the scores that they needed to move on to round two.

Billy Stairmand lead the first 8 heats of the opening round of the 2010 O'Neill Cold Water Classic in Scotland. The ASP 6-Star event began at 7:30 and was held at the back-up location of Brims Ness.

The highest two wave total, a 14.66 out of 20, was achieved by star surfer Billy Stairmand, who had never surfed Brims Ness before until the opening round.

“This is the first time I have been to Scotland and the first time I have actually surfed this wave so I’m happy because I got a couple of waves and the scores I needed.”

Billy Stairmand had no time to prepare for the event in Scotland, but felt extremely comfortable with the cold water and the foreign surf.

Unlike Stairmand, Nicolaus Rupp had been preparing for almost two weeks and was very pleased with the results of his hard work as he gained passage to round two.

“I felt really comfortable out there because I have conditions like this where I live, it’s a little reef break," said Rupp. "So the last ten days I have been training hard on the rights and getting barrelled. So I feel comfortable and my boards are going amazing. I am loving Scotland, it’s a great place.”

Anthony Walsh from Australia was heat one winner and thoroughly enjoyed the entire round.

“It’s really fun actually. There’s a little rip bank and when the right one comes through it’s quite hittable but just a lot of wetsuit for me to get used to but if you get the right one it’s really fun.”

“It says 3 degrees,” continued Walsh about the weather temperature. “At least there’s no wind and the sun is out. It’s not actually too bad as long as you have all the right gear on, so it’s pretty warm really.”

When the O'Neill Cold Water Classic in Scotland resumes competition, the surfers will complete the opening round and a possibly into round two.