It’s usually in December, but a lack of good swell in this “first” month of the winter big wave season has shifted the Mavericks Invitation Surf Contest window to January. Instead of beginning in December 2011, the window will now be open from January 1 to March 31, 2012, organizer and big wave surfer Jeff Clark said in a statement.
The Mavericks Invitational is a one-day, invitation-only surfing competition held at the legendary Mavericks surf break located just offshore Pillar Point Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay, and 20 minutes south of San Francisco.
After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 feet and there’s even a claim that November 21, 2001 was a “100-foot Wednesday.” The Mavericks big-wave break, called a “voodoo wave” by Surfer magazine in 1992 is caused by an unusually-shaped underwater rock formation.
The break is amazingly awe-inspiring with massive waves, dangerous rocks, shallow reef, strong currents and frigid water, and brings surfers and onlookers from all over the world. That is why it 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.
Here is the list of 24 invitees and 17 alternates, which includes big-wave surfers from nearby Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz to as far away as South Africa and Australia. At any moment during the three-month period, the world’s 24 best big wave surfers could be given just 24-hours notice to show up for the contest.
The invitees:
- Chris Bertish (South Africa)
- Shane Desmond (Santa Cruz)
- Anthony Tashnick (Santa Cruz)
- Ken Collins (Santa Cruz)
- Dave Wassel (Hawaii)
- Carlos Burle (Brazil)
- Grant Baker (South Africa)
- Alex Martins (San Francisco)
- Peter Mel (Santa Cruz)
- Grant Washburn (San Francisco)
- Ryan Seelbach (San Francisco)
- Greg Long (San Clemente)
- Zack Wormhoudt (Santa Cruz)
- Mark Healey (Hawaii)
- Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz)
- Ryan Augenstein (Santa Cruz)
- Shane Dorian (Hawaii)
- Rusty Long (San Clemente)
- Tyler Smith (Santa Cruz)
- Nathan Fletcher (Hawaii)
- Matt Ambrose (Pacifica)
- Jamie Sterling (Hawaii)
- Ben Wilkinson (Australia)
Kelly Slater (Florida)
The alternates:
- Josh Loya (Santa Cruz)
- Tyler Fox (Santa Cruz)
- Colin Dwyer (Pacifica)
- Nic Lamb (Santa Cruz)
- Danilo Couto (Brazil)
- Derek Dunfee (San Diego)
- Ben Andrews (San Francisco)
- Andrew Marr (South Africa)
- Travis Payne (Pacifica)
- Ion Banner (Half Moon Bay)
- Kohl Christensen (Hawaii)
- Shawn Rhodes (Pacifica)
- Mike Gerhardt (Santa Cruz)
- Garret McNamara (Hawaii)
- Russel Smith (Santa Cruz)
- Jamie Mitchel (Australia)
- John Bowling (San Francisco)
For more info on the invitees, check out: http://jeffclarkmavericks.com/mavericks-invitational-201112/
