Catch the Big Waves at Mavericks, California

This place is not for beginners! Chris Nelson and Demi Taylor share their passion for Mavericks, one of the most dangerous surfing spots in the world.



(This is an extract from Surfing the World.)

The world’s great waves don’t usually just appear from nowhere, unless there has been some great interference from humans (and usually that results in the opposite effect). Usually they break in glorious isolation until stumbled upon by a passing surfer and it is then not long before they are brought to the attention of the world. Word always seems to leak out somehow. Surfers are the worst at keeping secrets. One of the truly amazing things about Mavericks is that, in 1975, when Jeff Clark tried to tell people about this groundbreaking wave he had discovered, no one would believe him. So he carried on surfing the spot – by himself – for nearly 15 years.

Today Mavericks is universally accepted as the world’s premier big wave spot to paddle into. A whole generation has dined out on pictures of hell drops and sickening wipe-outs at this cold water cauldron of mountainous water and jagged rocks. But 15 years ago the wave riding landscape was very different. No one believed that anywhere outside the Hawaiian Islands could lay down a legitimate challenge for the big wave crown. Although the line-up today is relatively crowded, the number of surfers who really relish this environment is limited to a mere handful. This is a truly life-threatening wave – one that claimed the life of renowned big wave rider Mark Foo in 1994 – and it takes a certain skill and a certain mindset to take it on.

Mavericks breaks in the chilly waters off the northern reaches of the Central Californian coastline in front of Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay. Huge swells come out of deep water and onto the submerged rocky ledge that lies a few hundred yards in front of a line of treacherous rocks that protect the lagoon. Feeling the reef, the wave rises, drawing into an A-frame peak, siphoning more water in, before the lip throws over and forms huge walls that reel away to the left and right. Just getting into the line-up is a mission. Surfers launch off the point behind the rockline and paddle south, fringing the lagoon and taking advantage of the rip formed by the water pushing through the rocks. The rounded Mushroom Rock is the point to turn and head out to the line-up, forcing through the inside waves – which can be 6-10 ft – and heading out into deep water. From here it is a long paddle to the looming peaks and the flotilla of boards and jet skis. Then things get even scarier.

Taking off at Mav’s you have to put yourself under the lip and be totally committed. The last place to be is suspended at the top as the wave throws out. As Billabong XXL winner and Santa Cruz local, Zach Wormhoudt explains, to catch waves here, it’s all or nothing: “If you want to sit conservatively and make sure you’re not going to get clobbered by a set, you’re never going to catch a wave. To be in position to catch and ride waves out there, you have to pretty much commit to the whole situation and end up in a position where you might get caught by a set wave – which is the worst-case scenario.”

The classic Mavericks shot shows surfers dropping down the face and bottom turning, but there is more to this wave than just the drop. Once the surfer hits the bottom and leans into the turn, Mavericks can deliver a huge, walling ride that races and, on occasion, actually grows in size as it speeds across the inside fingers of the reef towards Mushroom Rock. Many surfers kick out half way through, but it is possible to ride Mav’s for over 200 m, though the inside section can be punishing.

Although most surfers take the right, the left is also surfable, though it is an even deadlier proposition. The take-off is steeper and the wave is gnarlier. “It’s pretty hard to paddle into,” says Zach. “The way the waves come across the reef it makes the drops that much ledgier. It’s really steep and a shorter wave. The problem with the left is you tend to get pretty worked if you don’t make it. With the left, if you fall on either the drop, or on the inside part, and there’s more waves coming, it’s almost guaranteed you’re going through the rocks.”

That’s one thing you can rely on if you surf Mav’s regularly – you will have the worst wipe-outs of your life. “The very best guys still have to contend with their wipe-outs,” states Zach. “If you’re wiping out on the big waves, sooner or later you’re going to have one that’s really bad. You might fall on a 20-foot wave and one time it might be not so punishing, and the next time it might be to the point that you’re right at the brink.” Imagine falling down the face of a 20-foot wave, landing with a slap in the trough before a mountain of water lands on your body, driving you deep into the cold depths of the Pacific. You are pushed so deep that even the pain from the pressure in your ears can’t distract you from the fact that you are being pulled down into a swirling cauldron of water, so deep that, 30 feet above, the tip of your board is tomb-stoning like a fishing float. When you open your eyes there is nothing but pitch black, making it impossible to see which way is up. If you’re lucky, the wave will release you as your lungs reach bursting point in time to surface before the next wave unloads on you. If you are unlucky you may be washed through the huge rocks and into the lagoon. “Sometimes I watch someone take a wipe-out and I’m like ‘Wow, what would make these guys come back after that? That was just brutal.’ They’re right back there again,” says Zach. “That’s the thing, you’ve got to get back in the saddle.”

The low-down:
Location: Half Moon Bay, California	Break type: A-frame reef
Conditions: Big to huge swells	Size: 15 ft plus
Length: 50-200m	Tide: All
Swell direction: Northwesterly through to westerly	Wind: light easterly
Bottom: Rock reef	Ability level: Elite
Best months: Sep-Apr
Access: Out from the rocks south in the rip, then turn north around Mushroom Rock
Hazards: Everything! Sharks, spine-snapping waves, endless cold hold-downs, rocks