UMBS Go Blue
01-17-2013, 10:21 AM
Mavericks (http://mavericksinvitational.com/), an invitation-only event that's the greatest surfing competition in the world, will be held this Sunday beginning at 8am PT near Half Moon Bay.
A live webcast will be available on the official website (http://mavericksinvitational.com/). Lots of folks jam the shoreline trying to see the event, but in 2010, one particularly large wave crashed on to shore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ9x0OSrv0E) and injured a number of spectators. For Bay Area folks wanting to experience the atmosphere in person, a viewing festival will be set up at Pillar Point Harbor (http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_22387129/mavericks-surfing-competition-sunday).
(http://mavericksinvitational.com/)From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavericks_(location)):
Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing) location in Northern California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_California), USA. It is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from shore in Pillar Point Harbor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_Point_Harbor) just north of Half Moon Bay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Moon_Bay,_California) at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton-by-the-Sea,_California). 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_wave_surfing). 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.
The event is called upon short notice, during a window lasting from November to March, depending on surf forecasts. It was not held the last 2 years because weather patterns didn't allow for enough quality surf. From the San Francisco Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/sports/jenkins/article/Mavericks-surf-competition-set-Sunday-4200910.php):
"This swell is coming from a very strong storm located midway between Japan and the international dateline, with hurricane-force winds," Sponsler said in an e-mail. "This is the strongest storm in the North Pacific in three years. It's looking like the best opportunity we've had in quite a while for running the contest."
Crucial factors
Surf is only part of the equation, and the other crucial factors appear to be magnificently in place for Sunday: sunny weather, mild and favorable winds out of the east and, primarily, the low-tide conditions that are ideal for Mavericks.
"With such a beautiful day at hand, the contest could be unbelievably good," Washburn said. "The storm is still a long way from us, and that's the only thing that has people concerned: How much of that energy will dissipate before it arrives here? It's shaping up to have 17- to 20-second intervals (between waves in a set), and that always makes for powerful surf. Ideally, we'll have solid, 20-foot sets (as measured in the open ocean, translating to 40-foot faces).
Here's a cool 10-minute excerpt from a documentary about surfing at Mavericks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fqg43ozz7A). Here's also this year's event trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOtjjmbmEs).
Enjoy! :40beers: :inavoid:
A live webcast will be available on the official website (http://mavericksinvitational.com/). Lots of folks jam the shoreline trying to see the event, but in 2010, one particularly large wave crashed on to shore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ9x0OSrv0E) and injured a number of spectators. For Bay Area folks wanting to experience the atmosphere in person, a viewing festival will be set up at Pillar Point Harbor (http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_22387129/mavericks-surfing-competition-sunday).
(http://mavericksinvitational.com/)From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavericks_(location)):
Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing) location in Northern California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_California), USA. It is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from shore in Pillar Point Harbor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_Point_Harbor) just north of Half Moon Bay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Moon_Bay,_California) at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton-by-the-Sea,_California). 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_wave_surfing). 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.
The event is called upon short notice, during a window lasting from November to March, depending on surf forecasts. It was not held the last 2 years because weather patterns didn't allow for enough quality surf. From the San Francisco Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/sports/jenkins/article/Mavericks-surf-competition-set-Sunday-4200910.php):
"This swell is coming from a very strong storm located midway between Japan and the international dateline, with hurricane-force winds," Sponsler said in an e-mail. "This is the strongest storm in the North Pacific in three years. It's looking like the best opportunity we've had in quite a while for running the contest."
Crucial factors
Surf is only part of the equation, and the other crucial factors appear to be magnificently in place for Sunday: sunny weather, mild and favorable winds out of the east and, primarily, the low-tide conditions that are ideal for Mavericks.
"With such a beautiful day at hand, the contest could be unbelievably good," Washburn said. "The storm is still a long way from us, and that's the only thing that has people concerned: How much of that energy will dissipate before it arrives here? It's shaping up to have 17- to 20-second intervals (between waves in a set), and that always makes for powerful surf. Ideally, we'll have solid, 20-foot sets (as measured in the open ocean, translating to 40-foot faces).
Here's a cool 10-minute excerpt from a documentary about surfing at Mavericks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fqg43ozz7A). Here's also this year's event trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOtjjmbmEs).
Enjoy! :40beers: :inavoid: