Mavericks
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- For other uses of the word, see: Maverick.
Maverick's or Mavericks is a world famous surfing location in Northern California. It is located approximately one-half mile (0.8km) from shore in Pillar Point Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay. After a strong winter storm has occured in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 feet (8m) and top out at over 50 feet (15m), Mavericks is a destination for the world's premier big wave surfers. An invitation-only contest is held there every few winters, dependent on wave conditions. The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation.
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Discovery
The history of Maverick's starts with surfing pioneer Jeff Clark. In 1975, Clark became the first person to surf Maverick's. Despite this groundbreaking achievement, Maverick's remained almost entirely unknown for the next fifteen years. During this period, Clark continued to surf Maverick's alone. Only a few of Clark's close friends who had paddled out and seen Maverick's themselves believed in its existence; the popular opinion of the time was that there simply were no large waves in California. It is named after a dog owned by Alex Matienzo named Maverick.
Popularization
In 1990, a photo of Maverick's taken by Steve Tadin, a friend of Clark, was published in Surfer magazine. This event triggered a flood of interest in Maverick's as surfers realized that world-class big waves could be found in California. Over the next couple years, more photos of Maverick's began showing up in surfing magazines, and before long, filmmaker Gary Mederios released a movie about Maverick's, Waves of Adventure in the Red Triangle. As news of Maverick's spread, many big-wave surfers came and surfed the new break.
The Men Who Ride Mountains
The next major event occurred in December of 1994, during the annual "Men Who Ride Mountains" gathering. About twenty major big-wave surfers including Mark Foo, Ken Bradshaw, Brock Little, Mike Parsons, and Evan Slater came to surf Maverick's. Unfortunately, the occasion is remembered for its tragic outcome. Hawaiian big-wave legend Mark Foo died when he caught an edge on a midsize wave and fell. A few hours later his body was found floating just under the surface. Foo's death gave Maverick's more publicity and also prompted the formation of the Maverick's Water Patrol.
The first big-wave surfing contest at Maverick's was held in 1999. The competition resulted in Darryl Virostko ("Flea"), Richard Schmidt, Ross Clarke-Jones, and Peter Mel taking first, second, third, and fourth places, respectively. The second competition was held the following year and put Darryl Virostko, Kelly Slater, Tony Ray, Peter Mel, Zach Wormhoudt, and Matt Ambrose in first through sixth places. In 2004, with Darryl Virostko, Matt Ambrose, Evan Slater, Anthony Tashnick, Peter Mel, and Grant Washburn placing in spots first through sixth. The 2005 winner was Anthony Tashnick.
Maverick's in Film
Jeff Clark and Maverick's are featured in the 2004 film Riding Giants, which documents the history of big wave surfing. Directed by skateboarder turned documentary producer Stacey Peralta (best known for the skating documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys), Riding Giants includes interviews with many of the surfers mentioned in this article. In the film "Zoolander", Owen Wilson's character's retinue includes a big wave surfer from Maverick's.