Violent scourge strikes Canada
Nine-degree (Celsius) water and an air temperature of 11 (warm by Canadian standards, just ask the winter Olympic committee) are not enough to ward off the 30 surfers that bob against the rocks at Tofino’s Cox Bay, jockeying for wedges.
In a novel twist for locals, a running battle has been ongoing throughout the session between a female surfer and a male logger. The man has burnt the chick twice.
But this is 2010 and this femme ain’t no subordinate. She strokes into one and cooks the guy. As the logger rounds the section, witnesses say the woman tries to kick out, but is tackled by the logger. His board, which isn’t attached to his ankle by a legrope, drifts to shore.
But he’s not finished. After retrieving his board he paddles back out and berates the woman. That man was charged with assault the following day (February 4th), though action will not proceed until the Crown counsel approves the charges.
The incident is the talk of the 2000 strong Tofino populous, even cracking the Vancouver Island nightly news bulletin this week. The beachside town, located on the west coast of Canada, was put under the international surfing spotlight late last year when local surfer Peter Devries won the O’Neill six star prime event in surreal circumstances. He says Tofino's surfing population has increased rapidly over the last five years, numbering around two to three hundred today. At its worst, the wave where the incident took place has held as many as 100 boardriders, while today he surfed it with 30 others.
Advancements in wetsuit technology have made the inconvenience of colder climates redundant and Peter says Canada is developing a culture of localism in response to the growing numbers of surfers. “It’s like anywhere, people are pretty protective about their waves and want to get waves when they’re in the water.” Though he insists Tofino is one of the mellowest spots in Canada, with plentiful beach breaks and a local crew who "let you get waves no matter where you’re from.” This was a freak instance, he insists, though one that's still got him concerned.
“It’s shocking because as a man, you don’t threaten to do anything violent to a woman regardless of the situation. That’s the worst part. If it’s two guys who get into an argument in the water and want to settle it on the beach, that’s fine,” he says.
So how did it come to this?
“The guy who was involved was from Texas originally, lived in California for a while and- “ No, no, Peter. Stop. You’ve said enough. – Jed Smith
Posts: 41
Reply #41 on : Thu April 08, 2010, 09:08:31