Rescues along the beaches of
Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties were part & parcel of
a day filled with big surf, the kind of conditions that
gave Mavericks Big Wave Surf Competition the Green
Light. 16 people watching the event from Mavericks Beach
were hit by rogue waves that sent several to emergency
treatment with one man experiencing a fracture. Even
the announcers on their platform discussed what their
escape route would be as they were nearly called off the
temporary stage built for broadcasting the event. But
the show continued, and the final victor was Chris
Bertish of South Africa.
More than over 32,000
viewers watched the contest on live stream via the
Internet ustream.tv, as Mavericks web site (maverickssurf.com)
experienced a crunch with message that the server
couldn't be reached. It was temporary overload. On the
stream you could see the crowds on the beach cling to
hillside vistas, either in hopes of watching the action
off shore of Princeton by the Sea near Half Moon Bay,
or clinging to escape the huge waves that unexpectedly
hit the shore. The local airport was closed after 10
a.m. (contest began at 8 a.m.) and no more traffic was
allowed in due to the dangerous surf hitting the beach.
With half the beach crowd of normal, estimates of 20,000
on site attendance was attributed to the high waves and
limited access to the event. Those who left the area
were not permitted to return.
The purse on this event is
$150K, the largest sum of money for any big wave
contest.
Finalists as of 1.10 p.m. were: Anthony Tashnick, Dave
Wassell, Shane Desmond, Carlos Burle, Kenny Skindog
Collins, and Chris Bertish.
When the final heat took
place, the surfers were having a hard time catching the
waves. As the final minutes of the event passed, there
wasn't much to look at except for some waves that just
weren't working for the contestants. One of the
announcers mentioned that the final heat was commercial
free, though they could use a commercial with such a
lull in the action.
Finalists represented
Hawaii, South Africa, Brazil and three surfers from
Santa Cruz.
Mavericks 2010 Contestants
Scorecard: Santa Cruz =8; San Mateo Co. =4; San
Francisco=4; San Clemente=3. Is there power in numbers?
-
Grant "Twiggy" Baker,
Durban, South Africa, Mavericks 2006 winner
-
Darryl "Flea" Virostko,
Santa Cruz, won 3 Mavericks
-
Ion Banner, Half Moon
Bay
-
Dave Wassel, Hawaii
-
Evan Slater, San
Clemente, Surfing Mag
-
Tyler Smith, Santa Cruz
-
Peter Mel, Santa Cruz
-
Shane Desmond, Santa
Cruz
-
Zach Wormhoudt, Santa
Cruz
-
Nathan Fletcher, San
Clemente
-
Matt Ambrose, Pacifica
-
Anthony Tashnick, Santa
Cruz, won Mavericks 2005
-
Tim West, Half Moon Bay
-
Brock Little, Hawaii
-
Kenny "Skindog" Collins,
Santa Cruz
-
Josh Loya, Santa Cruz
-
Alex Martins, San
Francisco
-
Greg Long, San Clemente
-
Chris Bertish, South
Africa
-
Ryan Seelbach, San
Francisco
-
Ben Andrews, San
Francisco
-
Shawn Rhodes, Pacifica
-
Jamie Sterling, Hawaii
-
Grant Washburn, San
Francisco
2009-2010
Mavericks Surf Contest Champs:
1. Chris Bertish - South
Africa
2. Shane Desmond - Santa
Cruz
3. Anthony Tashnick -
Santa Cruz (won Mavericks in 2005)
4. Dave Wassell - Hawaii
5. Carlos Burle - Brazil
6. Kenny "Skindog"
Collins - Santa Cruz
2009 - Matt Ambrose; Grant 'Twiggy' Baker;
Ion Banner; Kenny Collins; Shane Desmond; Brock Little;
Greg Long; Josh Loya; Peter Mel; Shawn Rhodes; Ryan
Seelbach; Evan Slater; Tyler Smith; Jamie Sterling;
Anthony Tashnick; Darryl Virostko; Grant Washburn; Zach
Wormhoudt; Carlos Burle; Dave Wassell; Alex Martins;
Danilo Couto; Chris Bertish; and Tim West.
Previous Winners of
Mavericks
Greg Long Grant Baker Jamie Sterling
Tyler Smith Grant Washburn Evan Slater
Results were left
to right in photos abovee:
1 Greg Long San
Clemente 27.4 (wore an orange jersey)
2 Grant Twiggy Baker South Africa 26.6 - yellow
jersey
3 Jamie Sterling - Home town is Santa Cruz - red
4 Tyler Smith of Santa Cruz - blue
5 Grant Washburn - Half Moon Bay - white
6 Evan Slater - San Clemente/Vista - green
Slater is editor of
Surfer Mag. had been out of surfing with a back injury
and had just returned to surfing. His hometown is San
Clemente, but he has lived for several years in Vista
with his wife and family.
Sponsors included:
Save the Wave, Surfer Magazine, Myspace
Clifbar Green Room best tube of the day - environmental
efforts, barrel or closest to barrel Grant Twiggy Baker
$500/ $500 save the waves. Greg Long took his $30,000
winnings and combined it with the earnings of the other
6 finalists, which they split equally for a take home of
$9500/each.
Greg Long: Wow! This has been one of the biggest things
since I started surfing. Guys in water have been idols
of mine. These guys are the best watermen in the world.
I am very humbled. It was an amazing day. The first 10
minutes, we were getting antsy. It's not about the
money, but the love it. It was anybody's game out there.
Thanks for making me feel so welcome every time I come
back up here. - end
2007 Mavericks Surf Contest at
Half Moon Bay Was Not Held
Jan. 3, 2007 - The 2007
Mavericks Surf Contest, the
season's most anticipated
big-wave surf event, is in
holding pattern until the
waves are just right. On
just 24-hours notice between
January 1 and March 31,
2007, 24 legendary big-wave
surfers will make the
pilgrimage to the
treacherous Mavericks surf
break to compete for the
famed title. This year, the
invitees will compete for an
impressive $75,000 prize
purse. The purse breakdown
awards $30,000 for first
place, $12,000 for second
place, $7,500 for third
place, $3,500 for fourth,
$2,500 for fifth and $1,500
for sixth place.
When the ideal confluence
of swell and storms hit Half
Moon Bay last year
generating 50 foot waves and
ideal weather, a keyed up
crowd of 50,000 spectators
experienced the surprise win
from South Africa's Grant
"Twiggy" Baker. This year
these extraordinary watermen
will again risk their lives
in the hollow,
shark-infested waters for
the pride of conquering this
storied wave.
When a contest-worthy
swell, born from the storms
off the coast of Japan,
approaches the Mavericks
break, the 24 invited
surfers get the contest
greenlight and have a mere
24 hours to be onsite and
ready to go. This year's
contest aims to accommodate
the tremendous audience
interest while respecting
the fragile surroundings of
this natural wonder by
implementing a number of
soon-to-be-announced
initiatives. These include a
groundbreaking live webcast
on CBS SportsLine.com, a
unique webcast viewing event
at "baseball's perfect
address" and the home of the
San Francisco Giants -- AT&T
Park and a "greenlight
alert" SMS campaign for
Mavericks fans. Surfers can
track the waves and stay
informed on contest
announcements at the
official website
maverickssurf.com
2007 Mavericks Invitees:
Ion Banner
Matt Ambrose
Ross Clarke-Jones
Kenny "Skindog" Collins
Grant "Twiggy" Baker
Shane Desmond
Randy Cone
Danilo Couto
Brock Little
Greg Long
Josh Loya
Peter Mel
Evan Slater
Tyler Smith
Russell Smith
Jamie Sterling,
Shawn Rhodes
Ryan Seelbach
Anthony Tashnick
Darryl "Flea" Virostko
Garrett McNamara
Grant Washburn
Zach Wormhoudt
John Whittle
Half Moon Bay –
official home of the
annual Mavericks
Surf Contest®, in
case you’d forgotten
– is the most active
ocean-side harbor
between Mendocino
and Santa Cruz. It
is National Marine
Sanctuary territory
and also home to the
Fitzgerald Marine
Reserve, which
boasts hundreds of
bird species, plenty
of land and marine
animal life, and
ancient Native
American Indian
cultural sites. The
city also hosts the
famous Pumpkin
Festival in October
of each year, and is
known for its
unusually sunny and
warm days, often in
the dead of winter.
Despite its rural
seaside feel, Half
Moon Bay is also a
great getaway
location for people
craving good food
and first-class
accommodations (and,
of course, the
occasional 50-foot
wave). Here’s a
handful of Half Moon
Bay spots you just
can’t miss, whether
you’re in town for
the Contest or any
other day of the
year.
Restaurant Recommendations:
Sam’s Chowder House
4210 North Cabrillo
Highway
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 712-0245
Mezza Luna
459 Prospect Way
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-8108
Café Gibraltar
425 Avenue Alhambra
El Granada, CA
(650) 560-9039
Ketch Joanne
Restaurant & Harbor
Bar
17 Johnson Pier
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-3747
Café Capistrano
460 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-7699
3-Zero Café
Half Moon Bay
Airport
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-1411
Café Classique
107 Sevilla Avenue
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-9775
Sushi Main Street
696 Mill Street
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-6336
HMB Coffee Company
20 Stone Pine Road,
Suite A
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-3664
El Granada Hardware
& Cafe
85 Avenue Portola
El Granada, CA
(650) 726-5009
Event Savvy
Catering, Event
Design & Production
P.O. Box 1679
El Granada, CA
(650) 728-9436
Bar/Tavern Recommendations
Old Princeton
Landing
460 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-9103
Harbor Bar
17 Johnson Pier
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-5566
Mezza Luna Bar
459 Prospect Way
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-8108
San Benito House Bar
356 Main Street
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-3425
Winters Tavern
1522 Francisco
Boulevard
Pacifica, CA
(650) 355-6162
Sam’s Chowder House
4210 North Cabrillo
Highway
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 712-0245
The Wine Bar
270 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA
94019
(650) 726-0770
Cameron’s
1410 Cabrillo
Highway South
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 726-5705
HMB Brewery
390 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA
(650) 728-2739
