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

 

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…”

Mavericks Goes Hollywood : Jay Moriarity Film

Jay Moriarity, big-wave surfer who died the summer of 2001, will be remembered in the up coming hollywood movie "Mavericks". Set to begin shooting in October the film will be based mostly on Moriarity's early life and his relationship with mentor Frosty Hesson. Producers plan to find an unknown actor to play Moriarity and costarring as Hesson will be Gerard Butler. Butler who is know for his films 300, Law Abiding Citizen and most recently The Bounty Hunter will also be the executive producer. Moriarity, who conquered Mavericks at age 15 will not only be honored through hollywood but at the renamed contest "The Jay at Maverick's".

Chasing Mavericks (HD) Official Trailer On Theaters October 26, 2012

Based on the inspirational true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty, “Chasing Mavericks” tells the story of a young man’s quest to surf Northern California’s most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing more powerful than pushing your limits and chasing a nearly impossible dream.

Mavericks (Half Moon Bay) Surf Guide

World-famous big-wave reef at Pillar Point for expert big-wave surfers only. Primarily a right, but the lefts have been ridden by a few brave men. An incredibly hollow, jacking take-off in front of a series of house-sized boulders known as ?The Boneyard? is followed by a long, huge wall ending in a deep channel. Starts to work at 12 feet (3.6m) and never closes out. One of the biggest, scariest waves in the world. There have been two reported shark attacks here, both non-fatal. Heavy currents and lethal rocks on the inside if you get sucked in. This wave has already claimed the lives of big-wave surfer Mark Foo and a kayaker.

Best access is via boat from Princeton Harbor. Otherwise, park south of Pillar Point and follow the footpath through the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve past the harbor to a small beach protected by the north jetty. From here, paddle for 40mins around the boneyard to the line-up. Recently, with tow-ins becoming popular at Mavericks, there have been growing claims that jetskis are interfering with paddle surfers and are degrading the marine sanctuary environment.

Mavericks: The $24 million wave

In one of the first efforts ever to quantify the worth of a wave, a group of academics, surfers and environmentalists have put a price on Mavericks. It’s an exercise some environmental economists and ocean advocates call “surfonomics” – a calculation of the intrinsic dollar value of Mother Nature’s unique features.

The study, conducted earlier this year on the Mavericks parking lot and the beach wrapping around Pillar Point, rendered a report that puts the value of the famed wave break at $23.9 million a year.

Save the Waves Coalition, a nonprofit group devoted to preserving surf spots around the world, produced the report. Mavericks Surf Ventures, the company that hosts the Mavericks Surf Contest, and contest sponsor Jim Beam helped fund the study.

Save the Waves conducted a similar study two years ago in Mundaka, Spain, where a river mouth generates a world-famous surf break on the country’s northern coast. But the study focused on the economic impact to the locale after a sandbar break crippled the renowned break. It was a post-mortem assessment. With the Mavericks report, released at the end of October, surfers and ocean advocates put a price tag on the annual net worth of the wave.

“There’s not a market value for that but it clearly has value. … The idea is, if you’re going to spend $10 on gas and four hours of time to go visit someplace like Mavericks, well, it’s at least as valuable as that money and that wear and tear on your car or you wouldn’t go,” said Chad Nelsen, environmental director for SurfRider Foundation. Nelsen occupies a seat on the coalition’s board of directors and is writing his dissertation at University of California, Los Angeles, on the economic value of surfing.

“It more accurately gets to the total value (of Mavericks), as opposed to spending associated with it,” says Dean LaTourrette, executive director for Save the Waves.

LaTourette says surfers are merely a “subset” of frequenters to the beach. The worth is contingent largely on the “visit-and-watch component,” he says.

A pair of economists at the University of Hawaii extrapolated the hard numbers from a six-month test period running January to June and responses from 200 Mavericks beachgoers. According to the report, people pay more than 421,000 annual visits to Mavericks – an average of more than 1,150 per day. Mavericks is valued at $56.70 per visit, meaning that’s how much money people are willing to pay for the experience. And those figures exclude the estimated tens of thousands of surf-watchers who roll in for the one-day Mavericks Surf Contest.

Makena Coffman is an economist and regional planning professor at University of Hawaii who is unaffiliated with Save the Waves and Mavericks Surf Ventures. She helped craft the methodology of the study and co-authored the report.

To establish a solid grasp of the fluid surf break, Coffman and a colleague at the university extrapolated findings from a litany of queries to visitors using a “travel cost” model. Driving distance, number of trips per year, why people visit and how long they spend at Mavericks are among the determinants shaping the conclusions. More information about survey data should be available when the final report is released later this month, Coffman said.

When questioned about the specific figures, Coffman held firm on each finding save for the annual population estimate, which she calls a “first pass” at understanding visits to the area.

“We took specific measures to underestimate that,” she said.

Nelsen said the coalition “could have done a more robust study,” given that conclusions stem from a six-month period that missed the heart of surf season on a famously mild year for big waves. Still, he says such studies are an important means of understanding the economic weight of natural beauty people might take for granted.

“Often the perception is zero (value),” Nelsen said, “and when management decisions are being made at the Coastal Commission and they’re trying to balance a decision on development, developers always have hard numbers for anticipated revenues and job growth. This will give us at least one measure of looking at the values that exist today for these spots.”

"The Making of Chasing Mavericks"

Chasing Mavericks, A bio pic about the life of Mavericks surfer Jay Moriarity started production in October, 2011.



The film stars Gerard Butler as Frosty Hesson, Abigail Spencer as Brenda Hesson, Frosty's wife. Jonny Weston as Jay Moriarty, Elizabeth Shue as Christy Moriarty, Jays Mother; Leven Rambin as Kim Moriarty, Jay's Wife. Maya Rains plays Roque Hesson daughter for Frosty and Brenda, Patrick and Asher Tesler (twins) portray Lake, son of Frosty and Brenda.

On December 19, 2011, film star Gerard Butler escaped a near death accident while filming the movie. He was pounded by a set of 12–16 foot waves at Mavericks. Butler was held underwater for several waves and dragged through rocks until rescued by a safety worker on a jetski.[11] According to eyeforfilm.co.uk, "Butler was knocked off his board by a freak wave. He was trapped underwater as two more waves went over him, and witnesses say he took the force of four or five waves to the head. He was also dragged through rocks before rescuers managed to reach him and get him to the shore. Butler was conscious when pulled from the water and has spent the next sixteen hours in Stanford Medical Center. No statement has been made on his condition but he is believed to have sustained only minor injuries."[12] Butler was standing, although shaken, before being taken by the ambulance.

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)

'Chasing Mavericks' Trailer: Gerard Butler Grumbles About Waves

Seemingly losing himself at his 8 Mile star's behest, Oscar-winning director Curtis Hanson has made only two features since 2002's Eminem vanity project, and it's unlikely anyone recalls those films nearly as fondly if at all compared to past Hanson works like L.A. Confidential or Wonder Boys. (In Her Shoes, with Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine? The Eric Bana-Drew Barrymore poker drama Lucky You? Yeah, well, those happened.) His latest questionable attempt at making something memorable: Chasing Mavericks, an inspirational film that tells the true story of late surfer Jay Moriarity, here played by Jonny Weston and the hair of William Katt.

In the film, Moriarity stumbles upon Gerard Butler and friends surfing on "Mavericks"--a thought-mythical site with waves that crash with all the force of Sarah Palin's political career. The young surfer insists on riding the dangerous waves, but before he can do that, he's going to need some Miyagi-style training. And we all know there's only one growled, in-and-out-American accent that can offer that kind of sage surf advice.

Gerard Butler Rides Waves In 'Chasing Mavericks' Trailer Butler's seasoned pro teaches Jonny Weston's newcomer how to land the big waves in exclusive new sneak peek.

Are you ready to see the next great inspirational surfing movie? It's called "Chasing Mavericks," and it's based on the inspirational true story of surfing legend Jay Moriarity. And although the film won't be in theaters until October, MTV is here to help whet your appetite via our exclusive debut of the trailer.

The two-minute teaser opens with an introduction to our protagonist, young surfer/dreamer Jay Moriarity, who cuts class to watch a group of skilled surfers ride the massive waves at Mavericks, a legendary surf spot in Northern California. We watch Jay observe the more experienced riders with awe, and it is clear he wants to follow in their footsteps.

"Have you ever felt like you were meant for something more? Something bigger than you?" Moriarty, played by newcomer Jonny Weston, asks in a voice-over. We see Moriarty befriend one of the seasoned pros, played by Gerard Butler, and beg him to help teach the young Moriarty how to ride the "mythological" waves. Butler's character, Frosty Hesson, is reluctant to accept the instructor role, but the youngster's fighting spirit reminds him of himself, and so the two embark on a journey that will change both of their lives.

We see bits and pieces of the classic training montage: the student's clumsy first moves and falls, the grumpy instructor's discontent. One scene shows Moriarty trying to learn to hold his breath during a class at school and he passes out mid-lecture.

The final minute of the trailer shows us a glimpse of that one huge wave that they've been training for, along with more of Moriarty's emotional journey, the ups and downs, the good, bad and ugly, all set to the appropriately inspirational/pump-you-up track "The Fighter" by the Gym Class Heroes.

"Chasing Mavericks" also stars Elisabeth Shue, Leven Rambin ("The Hunger Games") and Abigail Spencer and opens in theaters October 26.

Chasing Mavericks on HD (Oct 26, 2012)

Chasing Mavericks Trailer From Trailerpulse

Based on the inspirational true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty, “Chasing Mavericks” tells the story of a young man’s quest to surf Northern California’s most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing more powerful than pushing your limits and chasing a nearly impossible dream.

Who was Jay Moriarity?

Jay Moriarity (June 16, 1978–June 15, 2001) 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.

Life of Jay Moriarity

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. This appreciation was rooted in an overall love for the ocean, seen in his accomplishments as a swimmer, paddler, diver, and fisherman. Achieving success in surfing as a youngster, he became increasingly interested in surfing Mavericks, north of Santa Cruz 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. In 2001, Moriarity co-authored a book with Chris Gallagher entitled, The Ultimate Guide to Surfing. A film, "Chasing Mavericks" directed by Curtis Hanson chronicling the life of Jay has an estimated release date of October 26, 2012. Jonny Weston will be playing the roll of Jay.

Chasing Mavericks Official Trailer