Has Mavericks lost its big- event status?
With public options limited, it may be just another surf contest
For years after its 1999 debut, the big- wave surf competition at legendary Mavericks north of Half Moon Bay was a Bay Area phenomenon. Organizers would announce the event at the last minute — when a good swell picked up — and thousands of people would skip work and flock to the coast to watch.
When they arrived, they would be confronted with a hard reality: They couldn’t actually see much of the surfing, which was a half- mile off the beach. Still, they came.
But as the event — now called the Titans of Mavericks — returns Friday morning, the question is whether it remains a cultural sensation or merely a surf contest. This year, there’s neither a gathering at the beach, a party at a nearby hotel parking lot nor a mass viewing at AT& T Park — options that were offered in past years.
Fans can watch a live stream of the 24 surfers attacking some of the world’s most dangerous waves — and a handful of local restaurants, bars and shops will broadcast the stream — but it’s unclear if the collective energy of the
occasion has been lost.
“Without that, it just doesn’t seem worth it,” said Paul Baker, a 55- year- old firefighter and recreational surfer from Brisbane, Australia, who was visiting the San Mateo County coast this week and thought about extending his trip to watch the competition. “If I was going to stick around, I want to see it live.”
Whims of the wild
That’s always been the dilemma of Mavericks. Baker and others know full well that the contest, which is generally announced just three days before it’s held, hinges on the whims of the wild and isn’t run for spectators — but surfers.
The event coordinator, Los Angeles- based Cartel Management, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. But a consultant for the company said the prior venue for the live- viewing festival, the Oceano Hotel & Spa in Half Moon Bay, was not available on short notice this week.
With the contest date fluid and few other options along the undeveloped coast, the organizer is hoping fans will make a virtual pilgrimage to the live stream.
“Is this event for the athletes or is it for the fans?” asked Ken “Skindog” Collins, 48, of Santa Cruz, one of the two dozen surfers from around the world invited to participate in the elite competition.
While he’d like his wife to watch him surf, he knows that’s not the priority at Mavericks. “They’re trying to make the best contest possible,” he said, “not figure out how to have a great party.”
The big- wave spot was never meant for the limelight. Not only is the break relatively far from the coast, but it’s also protected by the Pillar Point Air Force Station, which sits on a peninsula where public access is limited and the beach is nearly invisible. A small path is the only way to get there.
“That’s why I couldn’t get anybody to surf with me for 15 years,” said Jeff Clark, one of the first to ride Mavericks 40 years ago, before it took on its current mystique. “They’re saying, ‘ I gotta paddle out a half mile off all those rocks out there. You’re out of your mind.’ ”
The geography, though, didn’t dim interest among fans. Those wanting to catch a piece of the action rushed to tiny Pillar Point, where they parked a car wherever there was room and scattered over bluffs and beaches to catch a distant glimpse — often horrifying state and federal land managers charged with protecting sensitive wildlife.
Damage to vibrant coastal reefs and erosion- prone cliffs was reported. But things really changed in 2010, when more than a dozen unsuspecting spectators were overtaken by a giant wave that threw them against a rock and, in some cases, shattered bones.
The injuries prompted the coast to be shut down in subsequent years. On Friday, authorities will close roads to limit access to the beach, and San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies will keep people from getting near the water or the bluffs.
The problems seaside aren’t the only ones to roil the waters of Mavericks.
Internal politics
The competition has seethed with internal politics, as promoters in the unconventional world of surfing have struggled to agree on leadership, find sponsors and pay the talent in the water. Disputes contributed to the cancellation of at least one contest — which already is threatened yearly by conditions that can’t always accommodate the event.
The latest shake- up came in October when organizers announced that South Africa’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker, who has won two of the nine Mavericks competitions including the last one held in 2014, would be banned from this year’s contest for undisclosed reasons.
Some local residents said Wednesday they were fine with the increasingly offbeat status of Mavericks.
Kathy Hann, a 53- year- old math professor who lives in El Granada near the surf spot, said she was excited for the contest this year but couldn’t care less about designated spots for visitors.
“The locals never participated in that stuff anyway,” she said. “I'll probably head to one of the local haunts and watch it there.”