Surf's up for Cold Water Classic

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8616996.stm

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A surf tour that visits Australia, South Africa and California has landed in the far north of Scotland.

The O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series is taking place in Thurso - where the average water temperature is just 6C.

Nearly 130 surfers will tackle the waves of the Pentland Firth in a bid to win the $50,000 prize money.

The event's patron, Andy Bain, said the event was attracting the attention of some of the world's top surfers, despite the cold conditions.

He said: "Scotland has always been under the radar in terms of its surf but it's starting to get recognised now.

"We're back here for a fifth year, which shows that it definitely has something to offer.

"Being in the north of Scotland and having the low pressures coming from the north Atlantic, you get that contrast of good solid ground swells and the nice southerly winds giving us the ideal wind direction.

"That combination, when it's right, is very good."