Surf is up and Mavericks is on
The big wave contest, right, returns to the coast off of Princeton Harbor near Half Moon Bay on Friday after missing last year.
Just when it seemed doomed to lamentable circumstance, the Titans of Mavericks big- wave surf contest is on for Friday off the coast of Princeton Harbor near Half Moon Bay. The swell, weather and tides are expected to be in harmony for excellent conditions, a worthy challenge for the 24 invited surfers.
The event was last held Jan. 24, 2014, with South Africa’s Grant ( Twiggy) Baker winning for the second time, but organizers came up empty last year with a combination of poor conditions and blackout dates. This will be the first Mavericks contest staged by the Los Angeles- based Cartel company, and several
competitors are likely to experience one of the most compelling weeks of their lives.
On Wednesday, the prestigious Eddie Aikau contest will be held at Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore for the first time since the winter of 2009- 10. It’s uncertain how many Mavericks contestants will make the trip.
Many of them are based in Hawaii: Shane Dorian, Mark Healey, Nathan Fletcher, Jamie Mitchell, Dave Wassel, Kohl Christensen, Ben Wilkinson and Jamie Sterling. But the Aikau list also includes the Long brothers ( Greg and Rusty), Carlos Burle, Derek Dunfee and two Santa Cruz- raised surfers, Nic Lamb ( now based in Southern California) and Anthony Tashnick.
The path of this powerful northwest swell will allow surfers to catch it in Hawaii on Wednesday, then get a second helping as it steams into Mavericks on Friday. It’s not likely to be all- time Mavericks in terms of size, but “it’s pretty solid,” said meteorologist Mark Sponsler, the contest’s primary forecaster.
“It should be just under 20 feet Hawaiian style ( which translates into 35- 40- foot faces), with beautiful weather, Sponsler said. “Everything looks very good right now.”
This winter’s El Niño weather pattern has produced many days of good- size Mavericks, but without ideal conditions. That all changed Thursday, when Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark witnessed what he called one of the most beautiful, consistent big swells since he began surfing the place in 1985. As it happened, that was a blackout date because of security elements ( Coast Guard and police) committed to Super Bowl week, but some 40 surfers tackled the place in magnificent conditions all day.
To say the least, the “Titans” represent an all- star cast. Dorian, Healey and Greg Long rank among the top 10 big- wave surfers in the world. Mitchell, once the world’s greatest paddle surfer, has become a conspicuous figure in big waves around the world. Wassell, Christensen, Sterling and Fletcher are considered legends in Hawaii.
Tashnick won the 2005 Mavericks event, and South Africa’s Chris Bertish took the title in 2010. Kenny Collins, Tyler Fox, Zach Wormhoudt, Shane Desmond and Ryan Augenstein represent Santa Cruz’s ( relatively) old guard. Colin Dwyer ( Pacifica) is the sole coastside entry. Grant Washburn, Ryan Seelbach and Alex Martins are Ocean Beach- tested mainstays from San Francisco.
Those interested in watching Friday’s event should be aware that there’s no way to witness it in person, outside of personal boats and watercraft, and it’s uncertain how available such access will be. The beach will be closed to the public, and unlike past years, there will be no accompanying festival for spectators to eat, drink, hear live music and watch the contest on a big screen.
Several Princeton Harbor and Half Moon Bay establishments will be showing the contest on a live webcast. And there’s always the option of watching it in the comfort of home ( it will be aired on RedBullTV), with an 8 a. m. start.