When people think surfing, they think hot, sunny beaches,
but not in Tofino, Canada,
which has emerged as surfing's newest and coldest destination.
Here, water temperature gets as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
And once you get out of the water, it's not much warmer.
I'm headed north to see what the big deal is,
and to try to understand why the locals don't
let the cold stop them from performing at their best.
My name is Kaleigh Gilchrist, and I'm
an Olympic gold medalist in water polo for team USA.
But I'm also a pro surfer who has been
surfing since the age of eight.
Right now, I'm traveling to Tofino, Canada, a small town
on Vancouver Island with a population
of less than 2000 people,
and I'm headed there to try surfing in freezing water.
Tofino is known to get lots of extreme weather.
All that bad weather makes for good surfing.
I've surfed in warm waters, but now it's
time to try something different.
My first stop is to meet with Noah Cohen, a local surfer who
grew up in Tofino, to see how surfing has gained popularity
over the years.
So what would you describe cold water surfing as?
The biggest difference, obviously,
is that you're covered in five millimeters of rubber,
and not free and loose and limber, like you
are on board trunks or bikini.
But I think it can stunt progression a little bit.
You're pretty stiff.
But it also kind of gives you like this opportunity
to go out and catch waves every day without a ton of people,
because it's so much less crowded
than somewhere warm and inviting.
So for me, I just love being able to go to places
that aren't full of people.
You know, if you take a boat for an hour or two,
you can go surf completely by yourself
and look around and see nothing but trees and wildlife.
That's a pretty special feeling.
Have you seen the surf culture in Tofino change
at all over the past few years?
When I first started, being a surfer
I wasn't like a cool thing to do at all.
It was much more blue collar-y feeling, a lot of loggers
and a lot of fishermen.
There was plenty of days where I'd paddle out in the winter,
and literally there would be not a soul on the beach.
What's your plans for Tokyo 2020 with surfing
inducted into the Olympics?
The Olympics have always been kind of like, you know,
the paramount and that level of the best of the best,
and when I think about it, it definitely gives me
goosebumps to think that there is a chance to go.
Another Tofino surf legend is Pete Devries.
Champion Peter Devries.
I met up with him at a local surf shop
to find out what kind of wetsuit I'll
need to stay warm while surfing in the cold water.
So wetsuit's obviously the most important thing
when you're surfing in cold water.
What would you say have been some
of the advancements from when you started surfing to now?
The cut and the fit of wetsuits in order
to allow mobility while paddling and while surfing
has increased tenfold.
Cold water surfing, it takes a lot of dedication.
The coldest part is the initial suit up.
If you're suiting up outside, you know,
the cold obviously can be really challenging at times.
What would you suggest to wear here?
Let's go check it out.
-I'll get you something. -Cool.
So down south, I only have a three mil booty,
so I think I need some new booties.
-Yeah. -What should I get?
I'd say these seven mil dry locks look pretty good.
-OK. -Those will be good.
Yeah, let's get you a five mil suit.
-There. -All right.
You're going to have to get it on super quick
when we get outside here, so you should probably
do a test run in there.
All right. You want to time me?
Yeah, let's do it.
Ready, set, go.
-What am I at? -I'm not telling you.
Got any arms in there yet?
What arms?
-How'd I do? -Look at that, 2:10.
-That's not bad, right? -That's pretty good.
We'll have to see when you get out in the cold.
OK.
We've come to Chesterman Beach.
The air temperature is 50 degrees,
and the water is even colder.
I'm about to head out for my very first
cold water surf session.
I didn't really know what to expect.
I walked out there and I don't think
I felt the water until it hit my face.
I think, though, just the last 15 minutes
I started feeling it a little bit in my feet and my hands.
So I surfed down south in Newport, Huntington a lot,
and notorious for Surf City, USA,
so you're going paddling out with 50 to 100
of your best friends trying to get one way.
And then you paddle out here, and you
can catch anything you want.
There's nobody out.
So was that like a typical day for you guys?
Yeah, it felt like summer, almost.
That was like a little summer session.
After a surf session, we love to you know, get changed
and go grab some tacos.
What do you think?
How do they compare to the tacos down south?
Maybe some fresher fish than down south.
What were you thinking this morning
when you put on that five mil?
It wasn't too bad.
It was actually pretty warm in my suit.
There was a couple of waves this morning where I stood up,
and you can't really move your feet with booties,
you're kind of like stuck in place,
so I was a little off with standing up
and couldn't really feel my board as much
with the thickness of the booties.
Especially in quick conditions like that,
like shuffling them around takes a little bit
of getting used to.
Being in Tofino is a bucket list spot,
so I'm psyched I'm here and got to surf.
But sun came out, so I think it's time
to paddle out for another session.
-What do you guys think? -Let's hit it.
Any special way to do this?
Well, the tide's going off right here, I think.
OK, yeah.
That's where we lucked out with the weather.
February in Canada, not too bad,
so it was a big success, I think.
Yeah, sunshine this time of year is rare, so it was great.
This felt like a nice little summer day.
We had our own little zone both times, too, which is sweet.
Like nice to not deal with any other people
in this side of our sea.
It doesn't happen in California.
Yeah, exactly.
So surfing Tofino is rad.
I'll definitely be back.
It's up there with one of my favorite places I've ever been,
which is pretty cool, and obviously
it was an honor to surf with the legend of Tofino.
Surf a new spot that's been on my bucket list.
Our pleasure.
Yeah, totally.
Meeting Pete was awesome.
You know, everyone knows who Pete is, and Pete is a grom,
and he goes on every single wave,
so I might need to take a page out of his book
and start doing that at home,
get more opportunities on waves.
Not sure if I've been converted to a cold water surfer,
but I want to come back, and I definitely will at some point.
Being here in Tofino was a dream come true.
The local community is amazing, and you can tell
surfing in Canada in cold water is a passion.
You have to be committed, day in and day out,
to get in that cold water, and it's a lifestyle.
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