Mavericks Big Wave Surfing Competition Annual Half Moon Bay Surf Event



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

Mavericks 2008 champs

    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


mavericks big wave surfing contest


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