Big-wave surfing fans flock to Mavericks
Big-wave surfing fans flock to Mavericks
The bars, parking lots and hotels in Half Moon Bay were teeming Friday morning as the Titans of Mavericks got under way, drawing spectators from all over looking to get in on the excitement surrounding the legendary big-wave surf contest.
Mattox Goodrich, 9, came down from Sacramento Thursday night with his dad Steve, 52, and woke up at 5 a.m., hoping to see the enormous swell with their own eyes, but were turned away from the bluff overlooking the surf spot.
Public access to both the beach and cliff area was blocked after injuries and overcrowding in previous years made both areas unsafe.
Nonetheless, Mattox and his dad found themselves parked in a prime spot in front of the Mavericks Surf Shop where Red Bull, one of the contest’s sponsors, had set up a giant SUV with a big screen TV showing the live stream of the contest and a DJ playing rock music for the crowd that gathered.
In 2010, 13 people who got too close to the water were injured and at least 40 people were knocked off their feet by a monster wave.
Many of them had been standing on a short concrete wall and were thrown into rocks or mud by a surge of water.
[...] spectators have been relegated to either a public viewing party, of which there was none this year, or nearby bars and restaurants showing the event.
A surfer since the age of four and an amateur photographer, Ryan Ansel was just hoping to get a few pictures of some of his heroes doing what they do best.