Chasing Mavericks: A Local's Review

A year ago, Hollywood came to my backyard to make a movie, initially called Iron Cross and then saddled with the unfortunate moniker Of Men and Mavericks, which ultimately released October 26th as Chasing Mavericks. On a hot day last October, I was excited to join a throng of other surfers including my friend Heather as a "background artist" for the paddle-out scene filmed in eastside Santa Cruz. Then it seemed like forever to wait for the movie to hit theaters so we could see if we would be up on the big screen. At long last, I went with a little group of my surfing buddies to watch it on opening night in a half-filled cinema in San Francisco.

The story is simple: big-wave rider Frosty Hesson takes fatherless, driven, and eternally cheerful teenager Jay Moriarty under his wing and trains him to survive the monster swells at NorCal's big wave magnet. What was exceptional for me was seeing my home surf turf so beautifully filmed. Maverick's is less than 20 miles from my house, and my home break at the Jetty is just around the corner.

I've surfed at or in sight of all the locations shown in the movie. Maverick's is firmly in the "in-sight-of" category, but I've watched the not-quite-annual big wave surf contest with binoculars from the bluff.

The view from shore during the last Maverick's contest

That intimate knowledge of the locale didn't let me and my surf buddies get fully engrossed in the movie. For example, when Jay and Frosty finish their 36-mile-long paddle from Santa Cruz all the way across Monterey Bay, we all laughed out loud. They're shown resting on the sand at popular Linda Mar beach in Pacifica, 100 miles north of Monterey. I guess they got lost.

Frosty and Jay resting on the beach in "Monterey"

Jay and Frosty live on the same Santa Cruz street in a magical place where you can easily carry a longboard to not only the nearby eastside breaks (The Hook, 38th Ave, Pleasure Point) but also the westside ones (Steamer Lane, Cowells), which are about about 5 miles away in the real world. There's also some spatial portal that lets the big wave riders paddle out from the beach at Ross' Cove and then reappear on the opposite side of Pillar Point for the remainder of the journey to the lineup at Maverick's.

Then there are the little things that any surfer would notice - the always brand-new wetsuits, the too-clean board wax, the wave that goes on for a long, long time because it's really several waves spliced together. And I must admit that I long for a wetsuit like Frosty's, which seemed to have dried in the hour it took for him to drive from Maverick's back to his house in Santa Cruz, instead of staying damp for a couple of days.

The real Frosty (left) and the Hollywood version (right) during filming

The long-anticipated paddle-out scene of course came at the end of the movie, and Heather and I watched closely, hoping to see ourselves. After a full day of filming last year, we were surprised that it had been cut down to well under a minute. As I expected, the camera panned to encompass the real Frosty, but it didn't go a little farther to capture me on my bright Clownfish surfboard. Then the view shifted to an aerial shot, and it was over. I'll have to look for fame elsewhere.

It wasn't just me left on the cutting room floor. I remember reading about a casting call for extras at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, but there was nothing in the movie at that venue. And although Holly Beck flew up from Nicaragua to be the surfing double for Jay's girlfriend Kim, she was on screen for less than a minute, much to my disappointment.

Near the start of the movie, new grommet Jay's soon-to-be-friend speaks the truth that "nobody gets up on their first try" at surfing. Not breaking with tradition, the film gives lie to the truth by showing young Jay doing just that. I expect a bump of newbies in the lineup as a result. However, the film gets it right by showing what's required to surf really big waves: Jay is made to paddleboard long distance and demonstrate that he can hold his breath for 4 minutes without panic. Hopefully that will make inexperienced surfers think twice about attempting to surf the beast near Pillar Point.

All that said, the hallmark of a good movie is when I'm still thinking about it the next day and beyond, which is the case with Chasing Mavericks. Was it worth the inconvenience of closed parking lots and the commandeering of popular breaks while the filmmakers created this picture? For sure. I didn't know Jay - he died before I started surfing - but we belong to the same tribe. Not just the surfer tribe, but the particular clan of surfers who ride the waves south of San Francisco. We're clad head to toe in neoprene year round against the chill waters, and we all harbor a niggling anxiety about the Men in Gray Suits, although few of us ever actually see a shark. From the lineup, we have a unique view of some of the most beautiful coastline anywhere. We are each driven to return to the cold embrace of the Pacific ocean, some like Jay in search of the rush of dropping down a 50' face, others just to enjoy the dance on much smaller rollers. Chasing Mavericks has shared that view and that feeling with the world. And I have to say I am inspired to "Live like Jay", pursuing my dreams with determination and an indefatigable smile.

This post also appears on The Inertia.

The Maverick's Contest: (Almost) Everything Changes

Watching a surf contest on TV is a far cry from seeing it in person, and the Nor Cal community deserves the opportunity to see with our own eyes the feats of the best male big wave riders in the world. I want to take in the big picture, watch the massive waves approaching, the surfers turning their guns and paddling into them, then the drop and ride, or brutal wipeout. I don't want to listen to nattering commentators and miss details because the webcast has cut away from live action to a commercial, an interview, or a replay of the money shot. I want to see the contest, unfiltered, unfold before my eyes, experiencing the immensity of the monster waves rising from the expansive sea and the skill and fearlessness of the surfers who ride them. But I can't, not this year.

A giant wave at Mavericks during the 2010 contest

The last time the Maverick's big wave surf contest was held, in January '10, the organizers were careless with public safety. People got hurt when waves predictably rolled over the breakwall at high tide and inundated an area where tents had been set up amidst mud puddles left by the previous high tide. And in '06, a woman was hit on the head by a rock falling from the bluff above.

The aftermath of the '10 flood

This time will be different. No one, not even the media, will be allowed to see the contest from the bluff or beach. Instead, tickets may be purchased for $25-40, plus a $10 parking fee, to watch the contest webcast on a big TV at a nearby hotel. Only those with a boat, or willing to pay around $200 to secure a spot on a re-purposed fishing vessel, will be able to watch in person. And the harbormaster is trying to discourage viewing from private boats, which will be kept at a distance.

The little girl wanted to see some dogs, so her parents took her to the dog park and let her wander around unattended. As she stood in the middle of the field, an exuberant Great Dane raced past and knocked her down in the dirt. When she fell, she twisted her ankle and tore her dress. Aghast, her parents decreed that the little girl, and also her teenage sister, must never watch dogs at the dog park again, not even from the sidewalk outside the fence. Instead, they must content themselves with seeing dogs on TV from the safety of the sofa. 

The response to previous carelessness at Maverick's is overcaution now. Jeff Clark, back in charge of the re-christened Mavericks Invitational contest, had this to say about the '10 incident: It wasn't a rogue wave. It was one of those things that needed to be planned for and they didn't have anybody to plan for it. That will never happen again.

The view through a telephoto lens in '10 (by Luke Kilpatrick)

So why not just hire someone to plan for it? There are ways to ensure public safety that fall far short of blocking all access to the shoreline. For starters, no scaffolding on the beach, no tents or people within the high tide line, and no walking out on the breakwall for a better view. A stay-out zone could be established at the edge of the bluff and on the beach below. A ticket system for shore access could be implemented to prevent overcrowding and ensure spectator awareness of the rules. Public access need not be entirely forbidden.

It's hard to conceive of any public safety rationale to justify barring the media from viewing the contest from shore. The press group would be small, willing to abide by reasonable restrictions and easy to to patrol. At the '10 contest, a media area was established at the top of the bluff, with access limited to credentialed members of the press. A similar scheme should have been implemented this time around. Instead, all contest-goers are offered only a sanitized TV show, so near Maverick's and yet so far.

While the contest has changed radically for spectators, one thing sadly remains the same as in prior years: no women have been invited to compete.

She can surf Mavericks, but not in the contest

This post was published on The Inertia.

Big, Bad Waves and Noisy Jet-Skis

There was no big-wave contest at Maverick's this winter season, but that doesn't mean surfers weren't out there whenever it was breaking and rideable. Sadly, Sion Milosky caught his last ride and drowned at Maverick's on Wednesday following a two-wave holddown, while I was in the water with my friends a little more than 50 miles south.

Rest In Paradise Sion from IFM on Vimeo.

On another big swell in January that didn't rise to contest standards, Jacob Trette was saved from a similar fate by the quick action of a photographer on an unlawful jet-ski. Maverick's is located within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, "home to one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, including 33 species of marine mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345 species of fishes, and numerous invertebrates and plants." The regulations governing the MBNMS prohibit:

Operating motorized personal watercraft within the Sanctuary except within the five designated zones and access routes within the Sanctuary.... Zone Five (at Pillar Point) exists only when a High Surf Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service and is in effect for San Mateo County, and only during December, January, and February.

This 3-year-old ban is flaunted, sometimes unknowingly as in the case of Jacob's rescuer. Tragically, the several illegal MPWCs in the water on Wednesday couldn't find Sion in time to save him, perhaps because their operators were focused on taking photos. Yet no doubt this will renew the call for a loosening of the restriction in favor of human safety over impacts to wildlife. While admittedly I am not an expert on those impacts, it would seem that permitting lifeguards to patrol on jet-skis while actually enforcing the law against others would be a prudent balance of interests.

Don't Miss the Boat for Mavericks

Riding the beast at the last contest

Control of the Mavericks big wave surf contest has changed hands, and the new organizers of the re-christened Jay at Mavericks are taking greater care to ensure that the spectator injuries of prior contests are a thing of the past. Unfortunately, the consequence of Mavericks Surf Ventures' previous poor planning is that now everyone, except press, is barred from access to the beach and bluffs, leaving only the water for live viewing. Sure, you could watch the contest on a big screen someplace, beer in hand, but where's the magic in that? It's happening right here, in our own backyard, not hundreds or thousands of miles away. I want to see it directly, with my own eyes.

Although I was granted media credentials for the February '10 contest and have applied again, I'm fairly sure the 38 spots on the Huli Cat press boat will go to main stream media over a lowly local blogger like me. A press pass will get me to the media area on the bluff, but I'd still like to be up close to the action (especially since Santa brought me a Nikon D3100 D-SLR camera). Here are the options I've found for watching the contest from a boat. All depart from Pillar Point Harbor.

• Huck Fin Center coordinates up to 7 boats for contest viewing. There is no official contest boat this year, but the Jay organizers are sending inquirers to HFC. Contact Peggy to be added to their email list. This is not a solid reservation because boat availability varies with the uncertain date, but you'll be notified when the contest is called and have the opportunity at that time to make a nonrefundable reservation with a credit card. Most of the boats will be $200 per section (am/pm) or $375 for the whole day; others will be $250 per section. 

• Queen of Hearts is a 50-foot boat, capacity 43 people, that is taking confirmed reservations. Cost is $195 for the first or second trip (am/pm), or $350 for the whole day. The advance payment is nonrefundable unless the 2010/2011 contest doesn't happen, in which case they keep $10.

• Tigerfish, another 50-footer, takes 40 spectators at a cost of $200 with $100 charged for "re-ride." They "reserve the right to overbook all trips by 5 persons" so some folks might get left at the dock.

Boats generally operate a morning slot and another in the afternoon, so if you're keen to see the Finals, book the latter. I've got feelers out to some other local operators, so if I find more on-the-water viewing options, I'll post them here.

Women Who Surf Big Waves: Baby Steps

It's good to see women making a little progress, with one spot on the Big Wave World Tour adding an exhibition: "For the 1st time ever in a big wave Event, a women’s exhibition will take place with 7 of the world best charging women coming to tackle Nelscott Reef."

But why are the women's names smaller and linkless?

Perhaps the Jay at Mavericks could go a step farther and invite the best women to compete.

Women Who Surf Big Waves: Billabong XXL Video Highlights

Billabong XXL entries include locals Savannah Shaughnessy and Jamilah Star riding California bombs.

For a while, I've been asking why no women are invited to compete at Mavericks. This can be at least partly explained by the insular (incestuous?) method for choosing the competitors. According to @Mavericks_Surf, contestants from the prior year automatically return, and they select the rest. This doesn't give up-and-comers, including female big-wave chargers, much of a chance.

Mavericks Contest '10

I woke up too early on contest day, too excited to sleep longer, but I needed an early start anyway to get into Half Moon Bay ahead of the crowds. I picked up my press badge at a hotel on the way to the break. (Yes, this little ol' blog transforms me into grrrl reporter, respected member of the media. But more on that later.)

Including the hotel stop, it took the better part of half an hour to walk from my car through the closed streets of Princeton-by-the-Sea, past Jeff Clark's surf shop, and along the muddy dirt road to the beach fronting Mavericks.

Just inside the breakwall, the area in front of the scoreboard and stage was a wet and muddy sandpit.

All this would soon be gone.

With the first heat about to start, one guy had just returned from a free surf session.

Luke arrived before dawn to claim a prime viewing spot on the bluff. I clambered up the slippery slope to find him, using my hands in the damp dirt for the last twenty feet to keep from sliding back down the hill. (Along with thousands of spectators, just doing my part to assist natural erosion.)  At the top, the bluff edge was five people deep, and it took me fifteen minutes to locate Luke. He had a DSLR with telephoto lens; photos are here.

I smiled sweetly and wormed my way into a small space behind Luke's chair, making sure to clear it with the folks behind. One nice thing about being short is that I rarely block anyone's view. I stayed a respectable distance from the cliff edge, as it was a long way down.

The bluff was a great vantage point, well worth Luke getting up at 4 am to secure. Binoculars were essential.

The view from the top.

Look at the height of that spray!

Riding the beast.

The tide was rising to a 6-foot high mid-morning, and we watched from above as waves surged multiple times over the breakwall, wondering why people weren't being kept back from the danger zone. Later we heard that more than a dozen people had been knocked down and injured by a large wave (video). Tents were pushed over, and hot dogs floated in the surge.

The aftermath of the flood. Ironically, the red sign warns about rogue waves. It seems this was much bigger news nationally than the contest itself, as my East Coast relatives heard about it and called to make sure I was OK.

Eventually I had to find a Porta Potty which required a trip down the hill. Unfortunately for me (but luckily for the environment) none were located near the water, so I had to walk to the end of the dirt road, past ambulances ferrying out the injured.

Business completed, I tried to return to the bluff by way of the beach, but was stopped by the police, who were not letting anyone back in. As with airport security, the authorities were making a show of protecting the public too late. They should have kept people from the beach and breakwall through the high tide, which carried obvious risks that were borne out by a woman's broken leg and scores of other injuries and damage. But now the tide had turned and the main danger of rogue waves was past; they needed only to keep the public a safe distance from the waterline. Not one to willingly to submit to stupidity, I tried another access point via the dirt parking lot where a lonely volunteer blocked the way. He saw my press badge and waved me through. Halfway down the dirt road I was stopped again by a horse officer, who saw my badge but demanded to know who I worked for before he would authorize me to pass. I contemplated upgrading my blog to "Surfergrrrl Magazine" to seem more credible, but "I'm with the media" was good enough for him. Ha! That little piece of plastic did come in handy. And yet, I saw that the blockade was quite porous, as a bunch of people sans badges were able to slip through to the beach too.

Contestants get jetski rides to the break, half a mile offshore.

Non-contestants, like this woman, have to paddle out on their own. It didn't look easy to get a big wave gun through the sizeable whitewater. I've been trying to get in touch with some of the women who ride mountains, and I'd heard that Maya Gabeira was coming to Mavericks with a photographer. I hoped to somehow find her, or perhaps get to talk to contestant and finalist Carlos Burle, her big-wave surfing buddy from Brazil. But that seemed impossible on the day, especially when I saw women heading for the break. D'oh! Of course, she came to surf, not to watch.

Artsy.

More freesurfers heading out as the contest wound down. Unfortunately the early heats had better waves.

Some equipment didn't make it through the finals.

I think this is Alex Martins, a local surfer from San Francisco.

Another woman on her way to surf Mavericks after the contest, maybe Savannah Shaughnessy, a 20-year-old big wave charger from Santa Cruz. By the finals, they had opened the road to the beach again, and a newly-arrived woman behind me mentioned that her daughter Savannah was out in the water. Hopefully next time the contest organizers will invite women to compete, instead of de facto insisting that the surfers must have balls literally as well as figuratively. 

The results.

Mavericks is On! Know Before You Go

The not-quite-annual big wave contest is on for this Saturday in my own backyard, just around the corner from my home break. I'll be there, of course.

If you go, bring binoculars because Mavericks is a good distance offshore. The streets of Princeton-by-the-Sea will be closed, so be prepared for bad traffic and a long walk, or you can pay $15 to park at the Half Moon Bay airport and take a "free" shuttle in. The contest takes place in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the shoreline and cliffs are fragile, sensitive ecosystems; please remember to tread lightly and pack out your trash.

There are plenty of other viewing options if you're not local or want to skip the hassles: webcast, FLO TV, Facebook, and a huge screen at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Check the Mavericks website for more info.

Women Who Surf Mountains

I've lamented before that women are excluded from the invitees' list of big wave surf contests such as Mavericks, and the recent Quiksilver Eddie as well. It's not as if there are no qualified female surfers. For example, Maya Gabeira, Layne Beachley (retired), Sarah Gerhardt, Jenny Useldinger, Jamilah Star, Savannah Shaughnessy, Keala Kennelly, Kim Hamrock, Mercedes Maidana, and Maria Souza are all big-wave riders. They're not named, but this Surfline video shows "quite a few women were out charging" Waimea on a day with large waves but conditions too poor to hold the Eddie contest. And here' s Jamilah on a Mavericks bomb in '08. Yet the Eddie in December was male only, no grrrls allowed; likewise for the Mavericks contest, which may run this weekend.

Watch Maya at Teahupoo:

Maya began surfing 3-story waves at Waimea, site of the Eddie contest. She was inspired by Jamilah Starr, who in 2004 had to catch one more monster wave and paddle in, ceding the break to the male invitees of the Eddie. Maya has also paddled into 25-footers at Mavericks, and traveled the world to ride at other major big-wave breaks. Are all the male invitees of the Eddie and Mavericks contests as qualified as she to compete on monster waves? Hmm.

This article details Maya's accomplishments but also suggests that she's at the forefront of women breaking into the boys' big wave-riding club. That may be so, as others such as Keala Kennelly haven't been able to line up essential sponsor support. I would posit this has less to do with the womens' skill and potential than with their gender, as the boys' club draws from the boys' pool. Like any profession where sexism is entrenched, it tends to self-perpetuate.

The Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards just added a Girls Performance category. Check out these women who surf mountains. And let's hope that the next year brings some female faces to the lineups of the big wave contests.

Why Weren't Women Invited to Mavericks?

The Mavericks Surf Contest recently announced the 2009 invitees, and all 26 are men. WTF?! Sarah Gerhardt, the focus of One Winter Story, has been surfing the big waves of Mavericks for more than 10 years. She was invited to the contest in 2001, but only as an alternate. Jenny Useldinger and Jamilah Star are also Mavs regulars.

The Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards aren't so sexist. Maya Gabeira, who charges with the guys on massive waves, is up for Biggest Wave and Monster Paddle for riding Dungeons (photo), and for Ride of the Year and Monster Tube at Teahupoo. Women's surfing icon Layne Beachley is in the running for Ride of the Year for taking on a big one at Ours. Mercedes Maidana has entries for Monster Paddle at Waimea Bay and Biggest Wave at El Buey. And Jamilah is up for Ride of the Year at Puerto Escondido and Monster Paddle at Mavericks itself.

I asked Keir Beadling, Mavericks CEO, why no women are on the invitee list. His answer? "Hmm..." C'mon, we want to know why the contest is ignoring half the population. Are you afraid a woman might win?

Mavericks Contest Window Closes...or Does It?

The Mavericks contest window closes in a couple days. Too bad they didn't open it earlier to catch the great swell at the end of November. At least we have memories of 2008.

But wait! Now there's talk of extending the window into April. We may get lucky yet.

Update: April is breeding season, when a young seal's fancy turns to love. So the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary is off-limits, and rightly so, to droves of spectators and roaring jet skis that would disturb nesting birds and baby marine mammals. Better luck next time, when contest organizers hope to open the window on November 1st.

Mavericks Exhibit in Redwood City

Update 1/4/09: S and I finally checked out this exhibit before seeing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both disappointed, the movie for having a plot element I've always detested (lovers get in the way of their own happiness, wasting years of their lives staying apart for reasons that shouldn't matter), and the Mavs exhibit for being so small and insubstantial. I had hoped for a bit more content, and looking out the window to imagine the drop (pic at right) just made me think about how I'd be about to die if my board was at that angle at the top of the wave. The exhibit is in a tiny room dominated by a fiberglass barrel which holds the most interesting feature, a video game in which you stand on a board to "surf" Mavericks on a screen displaying a pixelated view of Pillar Point from offshore. I wiped out a couple of times before I realized the game must have been designed by a non-surfer, since the board steered more like a snowboard than a surfboard; I needed all my weight on my front foot to turn. Then I managed to nail a ride through the rocks to the cheering finish before a gaggle of groms took over the room.

~~~

Now at the San Mateo County History Museum:

Just off the coast at Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County is Maverick’s -- where 40-feet high thunderous waves draw the best big-wave surfers from all over the world. The exhibit showcases the history of Maverick's, a glossary of surfing terms, videos of surfers riding the Maverick's and some "memorable" quotes.

Waverider:
The highlight of the Maverick’s Exhibit will be the Waverider, a multi-sensory game interface where daring visitors can take a virtual ride …or wipe-out.

40-Foot Wave:
Step on a surf board and look out the second floor window of the exhibit to the plaza below. You are standing about 40 feet above the ground, the height of waves at Maverick's.

Mavericks Contest, 12 January 2008

The local papers were predicting huge crowds and bad traffic getting to the coast, so I left early for the drive to Half Moon Bay. But they lied, because I made it there in record time, even stuck behind a horse trailer. I parked at M's house, although I could have gotten closer, and walked about half an hour to Rosses Cove with him, his wife W, and J. It was an absolutely fabulous day, sunny and in the 60s. There were a lot of people but it wasn't too crowded, and from the bluff we could see the lineup. Binoculars were key! I tried to zoom in with the camera, but it was too far away for good shots and hard to see the LCD screen in the sun - not to mention I'd rather watch through the binos than try to catch a good picture and miss seeing the action! And it was totally awesome to watch those guys, making a fast drop down the almost vertical face of 25-30' waves, then speeding ahead of a rushing tower of whitewater. I saw a couple breath-holding wipeouts too, but the jetskis were always right there to whisk the guys from the impact zone before the next giant wave.

After a while we walked down to the beach, where you could look left toward the break to see the sets coming, then right to a big video screen to watch the surfers up close. The beach had a band and food/t-shirt/info booths, and the announcers calling the play-by-play. But I liked the view from the bluff better, so when my friends left in the 4th heat to go watch the webcast on M's big TV, I headed back up the bluff. I scored a perfect seat on the edge with an unobstructed view and settled in with the binoculars. S2 joined me for a bit, and then I speed-walked back to M's house to watch the finals. Unfortunately the webcast was overwhelmed by demand and had no sound, with the picture at times morphing into some weird pixelated modern art.

Next year I'll be on the bluff again, or maybe I'll spring for a seat on one of the boats to see and hear the waves up close. That would be really awesome!

Mavericks Contest is on for Saturday

...and I'm stoked to go watch it! I'm a bit ticked off, though, that I paid the Mavericks people $1 for immediate notice when the contest was greenlighted, but I learned about it from local media the day before I got the text message.