Mavericks Big Wave Surf Competition Opens Nov 9 -March 31st!

The copetition window this year will be from nov 9 - March 31st the biggest window Mavericks has ever had.Ideal conditions failed to materialize last season, just like in the 2010-2011 season, and the contest was not held. Mavericks Invitational is a big wave surfing event. The one-day, invitation-only surfing competition is held at the legendary Mavericks surf break.Where 24 of the best big wave surfers are given 24 hours notice to arrive and go big, once competition is called on by the Mavericks commitee.

In Beautiful Half Moon Bay, Ca.


Last year the event had a festival on the last day of the event that was filled with great entertainment at Harbor Village and this year the group hopes to do it when the event is called on!





Information from Half Moon Bay Patch

The opening of the big-wave surfing contest at Mavericks is scheduled for Nov. 9, surfer and organizer Jeff Clark said.

"The opening ceremony is a special ceremony to gather the tribe, this family and community of surfers, to join hands and bless the event," said Clark. "It's a chance to bring the competitors and Mavericks community together on a non-contest day, away from the spotlight and commotion of a contest. It's a time for us to come together in the spirit of family and remember why we do what we do."

According to Mavericks Big Wave Invitational organizers, the contest waiting period will officially run through March 31, 2013.

Clark and fellow surfers are hoping for big waves this season at the spot known for its massive swells less than a mile off the San Mateo County coast near Pillar Point Harbor.

Ideal conditions failed to materialize last season, just like in the 2010-2011 season, and the contest was not held.


The 24 competitors, among them Chris Bertish, of South Africa, Matt Ambrose, of Pacifica, 2005 champion Anthony Tashnick, of Santa Cruz, and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, have been selected to be judged on how they can handle the Mavericks.

The opening of the contest season coincides with last week's release of the film "Chasing Mavericks" starring Gerard Butler as legendary big-wave surfer Jay Moriarty's mentor Rick "Frosty" Hesson.

The movie, originally titled "Of Men and Mavericks," was shot throughout Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay last fall and winter, including at Mavericks, where Butler was briefly trapped underwater during filming in December 2011.

He was rescued by emergency responders from the Coastside Fire Protection District and suffered minor injuries.

Chasing Mavericks: A Tribute of Mavericks Greatest Surfer named JAY MORIARITY On Theaters Oct. 26, 2012

Mavericks Greatest Surfer: Jay Moriarity

Big-wave rider Jay surfed the Mavericks, the breakers up to 50ft high that crash along the Santa Cruz ­coast in winter.

He was just 16 and working part-time in a pizza parlour when ­photographer Bob Barbour took a shot that made him famous.

It made the front page of Surfer magazine and he became a hero to surfers around the world.

Then, the day before his 23rd ­birthday, the sea he loved claimed his life. Ironically he wasn’t surfing.

Jay drowned off the Maldives while free-diving, staying on the seabed without oxygen to practise his ­breathing techniques.

Kim brought his body home and scattered his ashes in the waves he worshipped as hundreds of surfers formed a vast circle of boards.

As film-makers recreated the ­amazing life story, Scots-born star Gerard, 42, who plays Jay’s trainer Rick “Frosty” Hessen, got a chilling ­reminder of the sea’s lethal power.

Swimming out to film a scene he was battered through rocks by a series of waves and held underwater for almost a minute as rescuers on jetskis raced ­towards him.

Gerard, barely conscious, was dragged out of the water and had to spend a night in ­hospital.

He says: “It was a pretty close call. These waves came out of ­nowhere.

“I was with three of the best surfers in the world and they were shouting, ‘Paddle, Gerry, ­paddle!’. But this wave spread across the skyline, 30ft high, and just dived on us and it took me. It ripped off my safety leash so there was nothing to pull me back up. I was just tumbling, tumbling, ­tumbling… going, going. I was thinking, ‘I need to get up!’. Then I felt the next wave hit and it all started again.

“I had a few hairy ­experiences in ­training. I got out of my depth and sometimes I was under water for 10 or 15 seconds, but this time, I was ­under for nearly a minute.”

Of Men and Mavericks follows the relationship between Frosty and hiseager young pupil Jay, played by ­newcomer Jonny ­Weston.

After Frosty agreed to train him he made Jay write his life philosophies. The title of one essay was prophetic: “What would I do if I was going to die ­tomorrow?”

Whatever Jay’s answer, the way he lived touched the lives of hundreds of surfers, many of them inspired by that iconic image of him riding the Mavericks.

Photographer Bob, 61, recalls: “The picture was not just sheer chance. Jay was out to prove himself that day. The waves were big and he was going for it. He wasn’t reckless, he was ­supremely skilful. He knew what he wanted to do and was ­determined to achieve it. When you look at him there, at the top of the wave, you see so much grace.

“In fact it wasn’t so much a natural ­talent with Jay, he ­really had to work hard at it. He was dedicated, totally.

“If he said he would see you on the beach at 7am, he’d be there at 6.30 and he’d stay until the job was done.”

Bob adds: “I’ve worked with hundreds of surfers. I know what their egos can be like. Jay was different. He was the best but he treated everyone as his equals. There was always a friendly warmth in his eyes.

“I guess it’s difficult for people outside the community to realise how there’s a special bond between surfers.

“It’s built out of a respect for the ocean, and for the way each one takes on the challenges.

“Surfers understand one another and why they do it. So the loss of someone like Jay really touched everyone’s hearts in this neighbourhood. If he had died on a big wave rather than out training, maybe that might have been easier to accept.”

When Jay died, he and Kim’s first ­wedding ­anniversary was approaching. But they were ­childhood sweethearts and had been together as a couple for years.

A decade on from his death, Kim, 34, has moved back to Santa Cruz and is due to remarry this year.

But Jay’s memory is, not surprisingly, still very precious and vivid.

“Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with a feeling that he’s close by. I keep his ­image near to my heart,” she has said. “I was just numb after he was gone. I was ­upside down, turned around in the dark.

“I watched him grow into what he ­became. Being a big-wave rider is really very cool and people idolised him.

“But meeting him on the street you would never know that. He would treat you like you were his brother or sister. He had no ego. He was just incredibly real in a world…”

Watch the trailer of Chasing Mavericks (HD): On Theaters October 26, 2012

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

MAVERICKS famous because of tragedy?

Where: Location Half Moon Bay, Ca (South of San Francisco, North of Santa Cruz)

Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing location in Northern California, USA. It is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 feet (8m) and top out at over 80 feet (24.4 m). The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation. Mavericks is a winter destination for some of the world's best big wave surfers. Very few riders become big wave surfers; and of those, only a select few are willing to risk the hazardous conditions at Maverick's. An invitation-only contest is held there every winter, depending on wave conditions.

How the name came about legend has it......
In early March 1961, three surfers, Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson, and Dick Knottmeyer, decided to try the distant waves off Pillar Point. With them was a white-haired German Shepherd named Maverick, owned by a roommate of Matienzo. Maverick was used to swimming out with his owner, or with Matienzo, while they were out surfing.The trio left Maverick on shore but he swam out and caught up with them. Finding the conditions too unsafe for the dog, Matienzo paddled back and tied Maverick to the car bumper before rejoining the others. The riders had limited success that day, surfing overhead peaks about 1/4 mile from shore, just along the rocks that are visible from shore. They deemed conditions for surfing the bigger outside waves too dangerous.They decided to name the point after Maverick, who seemed to have gotten the most out of the experience.

It became known as "Maverick's Point", and later simply "Maverick's" Jeff Clark, having grown up in Half Moon Bay, watched Maverick's from an early age from the campus of Half Moon Bay High School and on the rugged coastal shores of Pillar Point. At that time the location was deemed too dangerous to surf. He spent time watching the break, and conceived the possibility of riding Hawaii-sized waves in Northern California. One day in 1975, at the age of 17 and with the waves topping out at 20 to 24 feet (7.3 m), Clark paddled out alone to face Maverick's. He was successful, catching a number of left-breaking waves, thereby becoming the first person (documented) to tackle Maverick's head-on. Other than a few close friends who had paddled out and seen Maverick's themselves, no big wave surfers believed in its existence. The popular opinion of the time was that there simply were no large, Hawaii-sized waves in California.Yet Clark's classmates from Half Moon Bay High School often speak of cutting class on big surf days to sit on the bluff and watch Clark ride the giant waves alone. Two of the next people to surf at Maverick's, on January 22, 1990 and in the company of Clark, were Dave Schmidt (brother of big wave legend Richard Schmidt) and Tom Powers, both from Santa Cruz. John Raymond, from Pacifica, Johathan Galili, from Tel Aviv and Mark Renneker, from San Francisco, surfed Maverick's a few days later.

Mavericks fame came with a tragic...

Death of Mark Foo

The next major event occurred on December 23, 1994. During a week of huge swells Mark Foo, Ken Bradshaw, Brock Little, Mike Parsons, and Evan Slater came on an overnight flight from Oahu, Hawaii's north shore to surf Maverick's. Such was a major event in the history of Maverick's – for reputable Hawaiian big-wave riders to travel to the U.S. mainland to sample the waves of this little-known big wave riding beach. However, the occasion is remembered for its deadly outcome. The popular and famed Hawaiian big-wave rider Mark Foo died while surfing Maverick's with the other Hawaiian visitors and local riders. Foo's fatal ride occurred in late morning of the first day (December 23, 1994) of riding when (as revealed later on video film), on a late takeoff into an 18-foot (5.5 m) wave, Foo caught the edge of his surfboard on the surface and fell forward into a wipeout near the bottom of the wave. Foo may have been knocked unconscious by his surfboard in the thrashing whitewater of the 'wipe out,' been tangled in his 'leash,' (a cord that attaches to the board and extends to an ankle strap on the surfer's leg), the leash may have been caught in the rock under the surface of the water, or Foo may have gotten confused in the darkness underwater and failed to float or swim in the correct direction to the surface for air.

After a short period of time, fellow surfers became aware that they hadn't seen Foo riding waves any more, and began urgently searching for him and his surfboard all around the Maverick's beach, nearby parking lots, and surfing water. A few hours later Foo's body was found washed toward the shore, floating just under the water surface with a piece of his surfboard still attached by the leash to his ankle. News of Foo's death traveled quickly to the far reaches of the surfing sport around the globe. Newspapers and watersports magazines covered the loss. Citizens of the Hawaiian Islands (Foo's home) and the surfing world mourned his death. The accident gave Maverick's deadly surf a new warranted but unwanted notoriety but also prompted the formation of the Maverick's Water Patrol by Frank Quirarte and Jeff Clark to protect big-wave surfers when they are performing in the dangerous winter surf.

Death of Sion Milosky

Sion Milosky, an accomplished big-wave surfer, died on March 16, 2011 while surfing. Milosky, 35, of Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii, apparently drowned after enduring a two-wave hold down around 6:30 pm Twenty minutes after the incident, Nathan Fletcher found Milosky's body floating at the Pillar Point Harbor mouth. Milosky was named the North Shore Underground Surfer of the Year in February, 2011. He used some of the prize of $25,00 in travel funds to fly to Half Moon Bay to catch one of the last big swells of the season at Maverick's. He is survived by his wife and two daughters and the Sion Milosky Memorial Fund was set up at the Bank of Hawaii. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavericks_(location)

Behind The Movie, Behind The Man. Who was Jay Moriarity?

The movie chasing mavericks is on based on Surfing legend Jay Moriarity. Take a look at a little about his life:
Jay Moriarity (June 16, 1978–June 15, 2001)

 

Jay was a surfer from Santa Cruz, California. He was an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. As a surfer, he made his reputation surfing Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, California. At age 16, he was made internationally famous when his wipeout at Mavericks was caught on film and made the cover of Surfer magazine. Four days later at Mavericks, on a smaller wave, legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer Mark Foo drowned.  Although a successful competitor, Jay is remembered as a soul surfer, winning many sportsmanship awards throughout his career, he was ver competitive and challenge himself everyday. Mark Foo's death catipulted the myth of Mavericks, and launched Jay into an elite status at such a young age.

Life

Born in Georgia in 1978, Moriarity and his family moved to Santa Cruz, California, soon after his birth. His father was Green Beret parachutist and a surfer, who introduced his son to surfing when he was 9 years-old. He immediately took to surfing and quickly became a respected surfer in Santa Cruz. Not limited to either a shortboard or a longboard, he was known as a versatile surfer who appreciated all aspects of surfing.  Achieving success in surfing as a youngster, he became increasingly interested in surfing Mavericks, in Half Moon Bay. After intense physical and mental training he began surfing Mavericks at 16 years of age, and soon became a respected regular in the line-up.
He died on June 15, 2001, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the island Lohifushi in the Maldives, drowning in an apparent diving accident. In Lohifushi for an O'Neill photo shoot, he went free-diving with members of the Brazilian crew but was not seen after. Details of his death are uncertain but he was reported to have gone farther down the buoy rope than the others, practicing his breath holding and meditating on the ocean floor 45 feet below the surface. His body was recovered later that evening on the surface near the dive site.

Site source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Moriarity

 

Mavericks Movie Trailer. Gerald Butler almost dying? publicity or real?

Picture Gerard Butler battling Northern California's most dangerous waves in an inspirational story about overcoming nature, and you'll understand why we're so excited for our famous phenomenon to hit the big screen.

Chasing Mavericks is based on the true story of NorCal surfing legend Jay Moriarty and his mentor Frosty Hesson (played by Butler). Moriarty enlists Hesson to train him to surf waves of mythic proportions: the legendary Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest on Earth.

While the gargantuan waves may seem fake in the trailer, the secret location of their existence is very real. Just north of Half Moon Bay, the area was made famous after Moriarty was photographed surfing there at age 16. Half Moon Bay 365 wants to report that local surfers have been surfing long befor this

"One wrong turn, you're hitting the water like concrete at 50 miles an hour," Half Moon Bay 365 reports 

In fact, Butler almost died himself while filming stunts for the movie. Half Moon Bay 365 thinks it was all a publicity stunt to get more attention to the movie and the deadly wave of Mavericks. The truth is unkown.

Mavericks is real and the most lethal wave out there and finally it is getting credit that the wave and the surfers who surf it deserve. For all the people who surf it out there we salute you with balls of steal and give you mad props for your bravery!

The film is set to release October 26. In the meantime, watch the trailer above and below to see Bay Area surf at it's best: