Surfing Mavericks: Not for the Faint of Heart
Written by MC Homer, Thursday April 09 2009
I’m not talking about seeing Dirk Nowitzki or Jason Kidd out there riding giants and saying ‘cowabunga dude.’ I’m talking about anyone with a severe need for adrenaline out on the open ocean. Surfing, like all sports, takes time to learn. Starting with the little waves, three to five feet and working your way up, even you too, can ride the giant waves at Mavericks, okay, maybe probably not.
Being a
The Mavericks’ big wave surf contest does not have a set day and time and is one of a select few contests of its kind, in the world. This competition has an open date spanning 3 months: all winter long. It is the waiting for that one strong storm bringing the right conditions that builds to the excitement. About a half mile from shore, during one of these stronger storms, waves routinely reach heights of 25 feet, some even topping 50 feet. The annual contest is by invitation only, with good reason. Surfing these behemoths is not child’s play.
The name ‘Mavericks’ came about in 1961, when three surfers and man’s best friend dared enter the waters off Pillar Point. The conditions were too dangerous for the dog, which would usually join the trio, so, for safety, the dog was left ashore. To shorten a longer story, the dog’s name was Maverick, he was a German Shepard. As the legend goes, the next surfer to try his luck was Jeff Clark, who had heard about this location from one of his high school teachers, while growing up in the area.
For 15 years, Clark surfed the waters off these northern
A picture published in Surfer magazine during 1990, brought immediate notoriety to Mavericks. Surfers from all over the world wanted their share at these big and possibly monstrous waves. As everyone even remotely knowledgeable about the sport knows, surfing is not about the money or notoriety, but about the thrill of the ride. Don’t believe me? The purse for last year’s contest winner was $75,000. Each of the riders in the final heat agreed to split the winnings, regardless of who won. Would you risk your life for $75k? I’d risk my life for money and fame, but there would have to be several more zeros on the end of that number.
Have you ever been lucky enough to watch a big-wave surfer in action? I can only imagine the money given to the winner is anywhere but on his mind. Five to eight foot waves are difficult enough to navigate for any intermediate surfer. When you’re facing a 40’ wave, you concentrate on not dying, that’s it, that and staying on your board above all else. When you see a jet ski used as a getaway vehicle, this is a good indication that it is anything but safe out there.
Mother Nature can generate some mind-boggling phenomenons. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes all come to mind, but so too, does the hidden weight and strength of these larger-than-life waves. People tell stories about being at the mercy of the waves and rolled around like you are in a washing machine, but having a wall of water five stories tall smash into a surfer, can only be described as hell. The thrill of coming out unscathed is just as extreme as being detached from your board, albeit the two opposite ends of the spectrum.
The 2009 contest never was, after being officially cancelled, joining the 2001-2003 competitions, as well as the 2007 contest to be wiped out by a relatively calm winter, since the contests’ inception a decade ago. Surfers around the globe are on call every year during winter time in the Northern Hemisphere. Sometimes only a 24-hour notice can be given, making it extremely difficult for some of the surfers from countries like
Twenty four surfers were on the invitee list this year, including reigning champ Greg Long, a
I’m not a huge surfing fan, mostly because I can’t do it, but when people are willing to sacrifice themselves like they do in these big wave competitions, I can only help but show a little support. I know they do it for the adrenaline high, but that does nothing to take away from the fact that these guys are literally cheating death every time they ride one of these gigantic waves. If you have any interest in surfing or just want to watch some gnarly waves, the documentary made in 2004, Riding Giants is fantastic, I even watched it with the commercials, and that’s rare in the age of the DVR.
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