Maverick's Is Going To Be Giant This Week, Here's A Little Backstory
As you read this the swell on one of the main indicator buoys for Northern California big wave break Maverick’s is ready 35 feet with a 19 second interval … and building. If the winds and conditions can cooperate, that translates into massive surf. Over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there was a “fun sized” swell that came through, which probably was somewhere in the 15- to 20-foot range. What we’re about to see will be much bigger.
Before we dive into what’s to come, it’s worth remembering where we’ve been. Maverick’s pioneer and Half Moon Bay resident Jeff Clark first tempted fate out there in 1975 when he was just 17 years old. For next 15 years he would famously surf the break by himself save a few tight-lipped friends who were trusted with the secret. Clark's story has since inspired a number of films and documentaries.
By the early 1990s, word about Maverick’s was getting out as a new guard of brash, amped up surfers from Santa Cruz started making their way north to Half Moon Bay. Led Peter Mel, Darryl “Flea” Virostko, Ken “Skindog” Collins and Jay Moriarity, who would put Mavervick’s on the map thanks to his “iron cross” wipeout photo that landed on the cover of Surfer Magazine.
XXL New Year's Swell On The Way For Northern California This Week
In December of 1994, Hawaiian big-wave superstar Mark Foo took a redeye flight from Oahu to California to surf Maverick’s for the first time and validate it as being worthy of his time and attention. Perhaps a bit tired and sleep deprived, towards the end of his session Foo suffered what at first appeared to be a run-of-the-mill wipeout. Tragically, he never came up (most speculate that his head hit his board underwater and he was rendered unconscious). The death of Foo sent shockwaves around the surfing universe and put reenforced Maverick’s reputation as one of the most dangerous surf spots on the planet.
Over the years a number of big wave contests have run at Mavericks, with Mel, Greg Long and Grant “Twiggy” Baker all establishing their dominance at the place. The contests have also become a political hot potato as a number of internal and external issues have dogged it. The
It’s been nearly 30 years since Foo passed, and while Clark is still deeply involved in the scene, a new generation of big-wave heroes have taken over the lineup. A swell like the one we’re about to see will likely draw other surfers from around the world as well. It’s anybody’s guess what we’re going to see over the next 48 to 72 hours, but if the winds cooperate and the ocean stay clean, it could be something very special.
Watch: A Day On The Water With Maverick's Pioneer Jeff Clark
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.