December 8 saw the opening day for a much anticipated sleeping giant: Mavericks. This powerful surf break, located just North of Half Moon Bay about 30 miles South of San Francisco, is well known for generating waves off the underwater rock ledge that can hold their form from 20’ to 50’ feet in height. Winter brings the best waves to Mavs due to swell direction and conditions. Only an insider circle of known big wave riders double down for this risk of riding massive, barrelling, cold water waves in Mavericks heaving surf. These men and women are a special breed of athletically trained and mentally focused adrenaline seekers who brave this planet’s most ferocious surf.
Mavericks Surf Awards: Celebrating Mavericks and the Brave Men & Women Who Surf
As most official sporting events were largely cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, a full throated rallying cry echoed off the cliffs of Half Moon Bay in California, as the titans of surf awoke on the morning of December 8, 2020 to find that the Mavericks Surf Awards were on ‘Go’ status.
The Mavericks Surf Awards, launched by Jeff Clark and Chris Cuvelier, is a big wave surfing competition which filled the empty trough left after the WSL dropped Mavericks from its Big Wave Tour. Due to the capricious nature of big wave surf and conditions that create an opportunity to ride massive swells, the Mavericks Surf Awards is not run on a specific day as in traditional surf contests. Instead, this event strategically spans the full range of the big wave season – from December 1, 2020 through April 15, 2021. Big wave surfers and videographers have this 6-month time frame to submit best entries of surf video performances. Significant cash prizes are divided across five categories with 80% of the prize going to the surfer and 20% to the videographer.
Categories include:
Male Performance of the Year
Female Performance of the Year (with equal prize money)
Mavericks Ride of the Year
Biggest Wave
Best Barrel
As the big names of big wave surfing came together alongside the world’s best videographers and photographers for opening day at Mavericks on December 8, 2020, the action was captured in full technicolor and rich detail.
Virtual audiences watched the action in the lineup from home, as Mavericks legend Jeff Clark broadcast live from the channel himself throughout the day. This virtual experience gave viewers around the world a rare glimpse of the powerful swell and cast of characters in the lineup on Mavericks Surf Awards’ Instagram and Facebook pages. It was quite an education.
Jeff Clark narrated the live broadcasts on board while sometimes heaving and dodging massive sledges of whitewater in his boat. He even answered questions from viewers, at the same time navigating tricky currents and ducking the fallout of one of the most notorious big wave breaks on the planet. The thunder of crashing waves sounded like gunshots going off, and the excitement in the channel was palpable as the world’s greatest big wave surfers and photographers came together to capture Mav’s massive swell.
Standouts from the day included Twiggy Baker, Peter Mel and Kai Lenny. The power and finesse of Ian Walsh also dropped into a few solid swells. Local representation included outstanding performances among Matt Becker, Luca Padua, and John Mel (Peter’s son), who dominated the lineup. The women were equally impressive, catching their fair share of monster bombs, including big surf slayer Bianca Valenti who caught excellent waves in this opening day extravaganza. Needless to say, the photos from this day and others since have been mind-gripping, powerful images which showcase the raw power of Mavericks towering surf.
More To Come: Stay Tuned for the Next Big Swell
The ocean provides. This winter's large surf forecast has given ample opportunities for the Mavs Surf Contest to take on greater grandeur. Clark and Cuvelier anticipate an excellent season as entries continue to roll in. Participating surfers and videographers upload their entries at the Mavericks Surf Awards website at https://www.maverickssurfawards.com/, where they are evaluated and scored by a team of judges.
An upcoming awards ceremony for this year’s Mavericks Surf Awards is tentatively scheduled to take place at the end of April or May 2021, in a small gathering due to current COVID restrictions. However, staff is planning a digital ceremony to broadcast throughout the world for this ultimate celebration of the brave men and women who surf Mavericks. Stay tuned.
