An unknown surfer jets down the face of a wave during the 2009 Nelscott Reef Town In Classic on Oct. 22. This year, organizers called the contest earlier than past years to take advantage of 30-foot wave conditions. (Courtesy photo by Richard Hallman)

The 2009 Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic and Big Wave Paddle In ran in perfect conditions on Oct. 22. Adam Replogle and Alistair Craft pulled off a repeat win for the tow in event.

Once thought to be a tow in only wave, organizers introduced a paddle in exhibition last year. With almost everyone in the heat catching multiple waves, it proved to be a success. This year, five locals were invited to compete against five pros in the Liquid Militia Paddle In Exhibition.

Anthony Tashnick won the Liquid Militia Paddle In Exhibition, taking home $1,000 and a seed, along with their tow in partner, into next year’s Tow In Classic.

New this year was the Kingfish Title, awarded to the surfer with the best combined scores of tow in and paddle in. Ross Clarke-Jones beat out Tyler Fox by just 2/10ths of a point. Third place went to Chad Jackson.

The event was dedicated to Gary Smither. Smither, who lost his fight to cancer in June, was a good friend, supporter, and judge for the Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic since the first contest in 2005.

The event started just after 8 a.m. and ran all day, finishing up around 6 p.m. Surfers traveled from as far away as Australia and Ireland to compete.

Conditions were perfect, with solid 30-foot-plus surf and no wind all day. The competition was as high a quality as the waves, stated a press release.

This year’s event was the earliest in the season the event has ever been called. The early call created a bit of a whirlwind to get all the arrangements and preparations for the “worldwide known” surf event done in time.

Surfers flew in from Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, and Ireland, while others drove 16 hours or more from southern California and Washington.

Holding the contest this early allowed for extra hours of daylight, which everyone involved appreciated.

Finishing just before sunset, the event went off without a hitch, thanks to the hard work of all the volunteers, judges, safety crew and sponsors, the press release stated.

The after party was held at the Elks Lodge, with food donated from various local restaurants and beer provided by Kona Brewery.



History



The Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic is in its fifth year. It operates on a three-month holding period, October 1 through December 31, and unofficially marks the opening of the North Pacific big wave season.

Despite the uncertainty of coastal weather, wind, and waves, the contest has gone on each year, boasting what organizers say is a better record than any big wave event in history.

Behemoth LLC, which puts on the event, was started in 2005 for the purpose of promoting surf events at Nelscott Reef and other surf locations around the world. Nelscott Reef pioneer John Forse, the founding partner, made his first attempt to ride the reef in 1995, managing to escape after a harrowing experience that made him realize the waves there were perfect for tow surfing.

But Forse failed to recruit locals to join him on the reef. In 2003, he enticed Santa Cruz Tow maestros Peter Mel and Adam Replogle to join up and help him crack the reef. With faces in the 25- to 35-foot range, John was finally able to realize his dream and get his wave. Adam and Peter rode the best high performance big wave in the world, and the seed was planted for the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic, held Dec. 11, 2005.

Andy Wagner of Action Sports northwest partnered with Forse and Jim Kusz, safety coordinator and veteran water rescue team leader for North Lincoln Fire and Rescue District, to start the Lincoln City-based Behemoth LLC in 2005.

Behemoth organized and promoted the first Tow In Classic that year, bringing sport surfing to the professional level in Oregon for the first time. They promote surfing events at surf locations around the world, but they reserve a special emphasis on the waves at Nelscott Reef.

The company has successfully organized and promoted the Nelscott Reef Tow in Classic for four consecutive years.



The event today



The Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic has become the world‘s premier tow in event, with contestants traveling from all over the world to compete. The big wave contest is held 1/2 mile offshore of Lincoln City’s Nelscott Reef.

With a holding period of Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, organizers wait for a swell large enough to produce 30-foot-or-greater waves.

This year John Forse called the contest earlier than past years, with perfect conditions predicted.

In the past four years, the biggest names in big wave surfing have competed in the event. Big name surfers were en route to the Oregon coast as soon as Forse called the contest.

Former and current contestants have traveled from all over the world, including Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and across the United States.

Organizers have adopted a traffic light system to help keep all up to date on the contest status. Red Light means there is no chance of the contest in the near future. Yellow Light means a swell forecasted is being tracked. Green Light means the contest is a go in 48 hours.

Nelscott Reef is considered the perfect tow in wave. Long rides with wide-open faces allow for high performance surfing like nowhere else on the planet. With no major obstacles, like cliffs or rocks, and a half mile of deep channel before the neck-breaking beach break, Nelscott is all about sick moves and long rides on huge waves.

This year’s tow in event was the same as it has been in previous years. Each team has two 40-minute heats. Top teams from each heat moved onto the finals.

This year, organizers introduced a first in the history of big wave surfing - a combined tow in and paddle in MVP award, called the Kingfish Title. They also added a second paddle in heat. The individual surfers with the top eight highest scores from the tow in heats were invited to compete in the Kingfish paddle heat. The scores from the paddle heat were combined with the scores from the tow in heats, and the individual with the highest combined score received the Kingfish Crown, and was named best all-around big wave surfer.

The feature documentary about Nelscott Reef “The Find” will premiere at the Hollywood Theater in Portland on Nov. 18.

For more information and pictures go to Nelscottreef.com.



Contact Kate Rowland at krowlandstayton@gmail.com.