Maverick's

The Largest Surfing Encyclopedia

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A-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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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 Surfingmagazine.

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 - who would win the event two more times, even beating Kelly Slater in 2000. Today, the list of champs is a 'who's who' of local and international giant killers, including Anthony Tashnick, San Clemente's Greg Long and South Africa's Grant "Twiggy" Baker. In 2008, six close big-wave compadres agreed to split prizemoney at the start of the final.

As local Grant Washburn told NPR at the time, "I'm obviously not probably the likely guy to win [but] It was such a beautiful day . . . [and] we had it all to ourselves. [Big wave surfing's] not about the money. And they proved it because they couldn't have surfed any harder if it was a million dollars."
Not so friendly was the debate between tow-in and paddle surfers, which raged into the early 2000s 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 and a protocol emerged: resulting in a three-month PWC grace period in winter, where tow surfers take over when paddling becomes impossible.

Meanwhile, surrounding spots remain PWC-free, most notably at "Ghost Trees", a nearby big-wave venue that gained recognition in the latter part of the decade. Ironically, one of the pro-PWC camp's predictions that safe would suffer came true in 2008 when local Peter Davi died surfing the former secret spot. And when crystal meth was found in Davi's system, it helped fuel an even greater controversy as Virostko and Mel later revealed too battled meth addiction for part of the 2000s, including some now famous Mav's sessions.

The decade would finish with one final shock when Jeff Clark stepped down as the Maverick's director in 2009 under curious circumstances. But one the reputation of Mavericks' crew in huge surf isn't going anywhere, with Mel, Flea and Washburn earning invites to events from Waimea to South Africa, and the bulk of the screen time in the film Riding Giants. Furthermore, one could argue the popularization of Maverick's opened the doors of perception that big-wave riding could extend past the Hawaiian islands and into different countries and colder waters, setting the stage for the venues like Dungeons, Shipstern's Bluff and Nelscott Reef.

In two decades, 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 (updated, December 2009)

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