A surfer’s nirvana
South of San Francisco, within a 30-minute drive along the coast, is one of the world’s most famous surfing spots. The site is actually two miles off shore, opposite a quirky little berg, Princeton-by-the-sea, which is just north of Half Moon Bay. Winter swells occasionally serve up spectacular Hawaii-sized waves that can top out at over 80 feet. For years, it was a nearly mythical place, since California is not known for huge waves. It’s named after a white-haired German Shepherd named Maverick, who accompanied a group of local surfers that first discovered the spot, but deemed it too dangerous to surf, in March 1967.
The first person to surf Mavericks was a 17-year-old kid named Jeff Clark who had studied the massive waves carefully before making his first successful run in 1976. For the next 15 years Clark had Mavericks largely to himself. In 1990, the location started catching on and has been a surfer’s tabernacle ever since. Apple’s tenth major operating system, OS X Mavericks, released in 2013, is named after the spot. An annual invitation-only competition offers prizes running up to $150,000. However, some years the event—which is held as late as March—is forestalled by warming trends. AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants, usually offers live broadcasts on its 110-foot-wide video display.
Info
Address Pilar Point, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94018, www.titansofmavericks.com | Public Transport SamTrans: 17 (Avenue Alhambra & Vallejo St/Carmel Ave stop) | Tip Check out Jeff Clark’s Mavericks Surf Shop at 25 Johnson Pier in Pillar Point Harbor.
The waves result from an unusual geological feature: a ramp of rock roughly 500 meters wide that runs toward the coast at Pillar Point and rises toward the surface. A trough lines either side of the ramp, which slows the wave down, and as it approaches the shallows, the wave splits and takes on a V-shape. The surfer has a choice of catching the wave to the right or the left. The left is more dangerous and less predictable. Mark Foo, one of the great proponents of the sport, drowned at Mavericks in 1994. His death was filmed in the surfing documentary, Riding Giants.
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