Spectators Swept Away at Surfing Competition
Written by Nolan Thomas, Saturday February 13 2010
Two humongous waves swept away spectators while they were watching the Mavericks Surf Contest in Northern California 25 miles south of
Thirteen people standing on a seawall were injured, with two people being immediately transported to area hospitals. Eleven other people were being treated at the beach for injuries including a couple of broken legs and broken hands. They were treated at the beach and if necessary were taken to hospitals.
It has been estimated that a couple hundred people were on the seawall when the huge waves struck.
Witnesses said the wave knocked out a large scaffolding which was holding speakers broadcasting the event.
“It just came out of nowhere and wiped us all out,” said one injury victim whose left hand and left knee were scraped and bleeding and who was soaked from head to toe.
Another injury victim said that everyone’s concentration was on the contest when the wave “wiped out the entire seawall.” He said it’s unclear how many people were on the seawall, but he believes some were seriously injured.
Nobody was swept away into the water; they were just swept onto the rocky beach area. The beach area has been cleared in order to avoid repeat incidences.
The Mavericks Surf Contest offers a $150,000 purse, making it the most lucrative big-wave contest in the world.
The contest is not held on an annual basis and happens only when conditions are ideal.
Despite forecasts calling for record-breaking tall waves, strong winds that could make breakers dangerously unpredictable, competitors in the contest voted to hold the contest anyway.
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