"As funny and weird as it sounds we're sick of chasing the summer" - Jarrad Howse.

I wonder where Jarrad was when he said the line above? Whilst wearing a 3/2 in 'chilly' Sydney? Perhaps he was spending 'winter' in Hawaii? I wonder if he still thinks the same after the O'Neill Coldwater Classic became the first surf competition in history to have snow fall on the beach. As Glen Hall, who had a heat during the snowstorm, said: "That was the most special heat of my life for sure. I'll tell everyone at the pub when I'm old that it was proper full on snowing in my heat. It was cool, it was really cool, but it was cold."

And it's not just snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures the CWC organisers have had to deal with. Thurso is the closest coastline to Iceland, so they're also getting sprayed by volcanic ash. Plus, two event cameramen lost their equipment (a Sony EX3 and a Panasonic P2 - $15K each) after 100 knot onshore winds and driving rain, blew them both over and smashed them to bits.

Yep, it's been one of the more eventful competitions in recent memory and the webcast has been first class. O'Neill has proven that you don't need big name stars behind the mikes, just two fellas that love to banter and bounce and, most importantly, can see humour in adversity. Sam Lamiroy and Dave Mailman are both masters at the game. May we see much more of them....

Here's some photos taken from in and around the O'Neill Coldwater Classic. //STUART NETTLE