Tofino will host huge surfing contest

Residents and business owners in Tofino, B.C., say amajor surfing contest three weeks from nowwill bethe local equivalent of having theOlympics or the NHL come to town.

More than140 of the world's best up-and-coming surfers willconverge on the town, facing the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island, for Canada's first professional surfing contest.

The O'Neill Cold Water Classic runs from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31 and includes a prize of $144,000.

Local surfer Peter Devries said the world-class talent is exciting and he's looking forward to a preliminaryevent that could see him qualify for the main competition.

The Cold Water Classic will beone of a series of qualifying events for the World Tour. Similar events are held in Tasmania, South Africa, Scotland and California.

Hotels in Tofino are packed and local tourism officials say the event is coming at a time when the tourist traffic traditionally dips.