For quite a few years, Jeff Clark was studying from shore a giant wave break off the coast of Pillar Point in the area of Half-Moon Bay, California. He would later prove he had discovered the largest wave break in the United States, outside of Hawaii, with giant waves breaking over fifty feet high. In 1975 at seventeen years old, Jeff paddled out to Mavericks “on an over-high, overcast, no wind, plate-glass day with a booming swell” and for fifteen years, Clark rode the wave alone. Clark had been known to talk about this “Waimea” big-wave up and down the coast but no one believed him or it existed. Years later, on a day when the conditions were again perfect, Clark took some buddies to a surf spot to blow their minds. When the guys arrived on that day in 1990, Clark’s story was confirmed. Tom Powers and Dave Schmidt couldn’t believe this wave had been there the whole time, a perfect fifty-foot plus peak right in their backyard.
From a young age, Clark was attracted to the ocean and riding waves. He said of this attraction, (the ocean) was ”something of a violent unknown…different every time I went in it.” Clark has a deep respect for the ocean and said the only reason he’s still around today is due to this respect and understanding of her. Part of the love for the ocean and surfing for him is about, “going to the edge, because she sets boundaries for you.” He was eager to share the big wave surf spot with friends and after Clark introduced Powers and Schmidt to Mavericks, they soon paddled-out with Dave’s brother Richard Schmidt, a big-wave Waimea legend. Not long after, Richard brought a younger crew of guys from Santa Cruz and soon enough, Clark was sharing the break with a core group of people with the same passion.
With many of the men and women who ride Mavericks, the affair is a conflicting one. Mavericks is arguably the most dangerous big-wave to ride in the...
world, not solely because of size and volume, but also the topography of the ocean floor, bleak weather conditions and the real chance of drowning. Additionally there is a wind-chill factor, and the point is located in the Red Triangle where great white sharks are seen on a regular basis. Explained by the surfers, people have drowned at Mavericks and nearly all have experienced wave hold-downs due to a rock reef and a massive underwater waterfall that during a wipe-out can push and pull one further beneath the rocks. Shawn Rhodes, a veteran Mavericks surfer from Pacifica said, “ the rock pile keeps you under, when you’re down there, it feels like it wants to drown you… anyone who says they’re not afraid of Mavericks is full of it.” The water at Mavericks, unlike warmer waters elsewhere, is just above hypothermia temperatures and can immediately zap energy and make it more difficult to conserve breath and relax in threatening drowning situations. Many have taken a beating at Mavericks but sadly two have drowned, Mark Foo and Sion Milosky, both big-wave Hawaiian surfers. Zach Wormhoudt, a twenty-year veteran rider of Mavericks from Santa Cruz said,” You find a way to co-exist with the ocean, but really, she’s going to do what she wants to do… you see that when someone dies surfing and the next wave breaks right behind, and then right behind that, and another swell comes, and it just keeps going, like any other cycle of life… and you realize you are inconsequential.”
The surfers who take on Mavericks have different reasons for why they desire this challenge. Many spoke of the adrenaline from the ride, the thrill and the euphoria that lingers for days, the excitement of pushing yourself to the edge… but also about the journey that leads up to the drop. Wormhoudt explained how for him it is about “the anticipation of going up there with your friends, paddling out, ultimately catching the wave, and then afterwards talking about the day over a beer in the parking lot.”After a great session at Mavericks, that feeling of euphoria can last for days if not weeks, and it’s that literally nothing can bother you because you’re so stoked on the experience, explained Peter Mel. Wormhoudt said it can be about, “pushing the limits of where you’re comfortable,” and Rhodes spoke about “the satisfaction in cheating death and making it…it’s this big adrenaline pile and you just want it all the time.” Some told of the euphoria as an addiction. Dave Schmidt, now retired from surfing Mavericks, described riding Mavericks for the first time as the best day of his life; “it was as if all I had been working toward culminated into one point, through one wave.”
To surf Mavericks, the men and women are physically trained, and more importantly have the mental commitment and confidence to be there. Rhodes said that he once brought three guys to surf, all accomplished surfers, and after one day out at Mavericks all said they’d never return, claiming to have seen God. The people who surf Mavericks successfully and consistently have confidence to push the edge and a comfort zone in doing so. Clark said, “We’ve all gone and taken our licks, but enjoy all of it… we’ve taken a beating, but then you go back out. For some, it stops them, for others, it motivates you to recognize that micro thing you slipped up on, what you could do differently next time that will give you that success.” Grant Washburn, considered by many the Mavericks ambassador, spoke about the innate thrill of fight or flight of adrenaline that he and others get from riding Mavericks. The ability to surf a big-wave at Mavericks is to look at a forty to sixty foot wall of water, read it and “use all you have learned from surfing to test your ability and judgement to know if you can go and make it through,” said Washburn.
Ken “Skindog” Collins, also a twenty-year Mavs veteran from Santa Cruz said, ”Big-wave riders are mostly great waterman and have a love for the ocean and the pain that she shall deliver to you. Part of riding big-waves is getting exploded on and you have to love it. When I’m getting ragged on by one-hundred foot white wash, I’m just like, I love this. I love getting pounded.” When the pounding is unleashed, one thing they all can rely on is the kinship. In Ion Banner’s words, “You can count on the guys out there. Even if you don’t like the guy, you’re going to save him, I can trust that.” For the people who’ve surfed Mavericks successfully for many years, it’s a life-long journey with the wave, an ebb and tide of growth and change, attempting to co-exist with nature. Collins talked about having good intentions when you surf Mavs, it’s not something to conquer in a day; if the wave lets you ride her, there can be a spiritual connection, more rewarding than ego.
In the twenty-one years since Jeff Clark introduced Mavericks to the world, there is and continues to be grand attention paid to a small patch of reef that generates abnormally large waves. Year after year, when Mavericks breaks, it will continue to be a handful of people there in the bowl, enjoying their surroundings, hanging out and having fun. Collins said, “The world will always be watching, because when people see a Tsunami, and a guy surfing it, they want to watch.” Regardless of who’s watching, the same group of people for years to come will be there, doing what they’ve always been doing- surfing big-waves. Rhodes said, “Around every Christmas the swell comes in, and it’s the same group of people that show up, and paddle out the front door…it’s kind of like a little religion, but mostly, it’s just fun with your family.”
