Maverick's |
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A few miles north of Half Moon Bay, California, and a quarter-mile off of Pillar Point Harbor, Maverick's qualifies as a natural phenomenon. It is not just a perfect wave, but a perfect 20-foot wave that breaks like a hollow 6-footer, exploding top to bottom with a ferocity that makes brave men shudder.
Like a lot of surfers, Half Moon Bay resident Jeff Clark had watched massive waves breaking out on a reef while surfing at nearby Ross' Cove in the '70s. Unlike his peers, Clark decided to surf it, alone, riding the lefts at first because he was a goofyfoot. Once he figured out that the other side of the wave was less hazardous, Clark began riding the rights -- switchfoot. He had Maverick's to himself for 15 years, and by 1990, he was getting lonely. On January 22 of that year, Clark led Santa Cruz surfers Dave Schmidt and Tom Powers into a monster swell at his private domain. They paddled out, got their minds blown and the cat was out of the bag. Surfers began filtering north from Santa Cruz and south from San Francisco to try this freakish big-wave spot. Over the next few seasons, predictions made about the potential for tube rides and the prospect of disaster came to fruition as more and more surfers began challenging Maverick's. As skills and equipment were honed, the performance level rose. In December 1994, Peter Mel faded into a double-up that pitched over the inside bowl, becoming the first surfer to get shacked at Mav's in front of the public eye -- a shot of him standing tall inside the green monster made the cover of Surfing magazine. The danger also was realized in 1994. During the same stretch of large surf that pitted Mel, 16-year-old Jay Moriarity launched into one of the most spectacular wipeouts in history. The image of an airborne Moriarity about to face annihilation was displayed on the cover of Surfer magazine. Four days after Moriarity's wipeout, Hawaiian big-wave legends Mark Foo, Ken Bradshaw and Brock Little flew over from Oahu to test Maverick's on a perfect 18- to 20-foot day. Things were going smoothly until Foo caught an edge on a midsize wave and fell into what looked like a standard wipeout. No one noticed that he didn't come up. A few hours later, some surfers returning to the harbor spotted a piece of Foo's board floating outside. They found his lifeless body floating just under the surface. Foo and Maverick's made international headlines, and big-wave surfing took an unwelcome step into the international spotlight. In the years after Foo's death, the world's best big-wave surfers approached Maverick's with caution and respect. But by the late '90s, the limits were being stretched again. During the El Nino winter of 1997-'98, K2, a California clothing company, offered a $50,000 bounty for the surfer who paddled into and made the drop on the largest wave of the winter. Mel led the assault on Maverick's as people threw themselves over the ledge in pursuit of the ransom. On January 30, a day that proved beyond the capabilities of paddle surfing, Perry Miller and Doug Hansen of Santa Cruz took to Maverick's on a Wave Runner. Miller towed into two giant waves, which towered eight to 10 times over his head, and Maverick's had entered the unridden realm. The following winter, Mel, Ken Collins, Darryl "Flea" Virostko and a few others began experimenting with Wave Runners and towropes. That same winter, Quiksilver ran its inaugural Maverick's big-wave invitational. On February 17, 24 of the world's best big-wave surfers competed for a $15,000 first prize -- captured by Virostko. The tow-in debate raged as people objected to the noise and stench of Jet Skis in a federal marine reserve, but surfers began to see the potential of tow surfing at Maverick's. A protocol emerged and paddle surfers had the right of way, but tow surfers took over when paddling became impossible. On October 28, 1999, Maverick's started the season with one of the biggest swells ever witnessed in Northern California. It was too big for paddling, but after much preparation during the summer, Mel, Collins, Virostko and Clark were ready. They had their technique down and were hotdogging waves that had been deemed uncatchable, linking S-turns, fading drops and pulling into gaping barrels. The winter of 1999-'00 was less consistent than previous years. Big days were few and far between, and the winter was divided equally between approachable paddle-in days and out-of-control days when only surfers behind Wave Runners had a prayer of catching any waves. On March 3, Quiksilver held the second Maverick's Big Wave Invitational in jarring 20- to 25-foot surf, again won by Virostko for $30,000. In only a decade, Maverick's has become an institution. It is one of the most famous waves in the world, creating careers, opportunities and a scene every time it breaks. When it's booming, the parking lot and path that Jeff Clark once had to himself is clogged with dozens of surfers, hundreds of spectators and an ever-present press corps, photographing, filming and videoing the show from the cliffs, boats, Jet Skis and helicopters. At least a half-dozen photographers and writers make a regular living from recording Maverick's, and there is one known web site dedicated the place. It has taken the brunt of human ambition, ego and conflict over the past 10 years, but has brushed all of it aside. Clark's 1991 prediction still stands and always will: "I've seen a lot of people paddle out there, but only a few really ride it. I don't care if word gets out. Maverick's will always take care of itself." -- Ben Marcus, October 2000
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