Matt AmbroseIf you want to know who ridesthe deepest at Mavericks, justfind out where Ambrose has posi-tioned himself. Once known as anunderground warrior, Ambrose isnow an established name afterreaching the Mavericks SurfContest finals in 2000, 2004 and2006. Now 35, Ambrose was partof Jeff Clark’s original, Pacifica-based Mavericks crew in theearly 1990s.

Grant “Twiggy” BakerSome were surprised when thisSouth African was voted into oneof the contest’s last five slots lastyear, having never heard hisname. They know it now. Baker,after taking a crash course inMavericks surfing fromWashburn, won the ‘06 eventwith a dominant, inspirationalperformance. A big-wave star inhis native country, Baker mas-tered the difficult Mavericks take-off in a very short time, perform-ing as if he’d surfed the place fordecades.

Ion BannerFor a lot of locals around HalfMoon Bay, Banner’s presencetruly validates the event. Bannerhas been charging huge wavesalong the coast for years, withoutmuch fanfare, and he representsthe area’s only entry on the main.Although he missed last year’scontest, Banner is rememberedfor his amazing air-drops in pastevents.

Ross Clarke-JonesThis well-traveled Australianmade his name mostly in Hawaii,where he has surfed with greatpassion for some 15 winters. Hislife’s mission was accomplished inJanuary of 2001, when he becamethe first non-Hawaiian to win theEddie Aikau Contest, outlastingthe likes of Shane Dorian, RossWilliams and Kelly Slater at 25-foot Waimea Bay. Clarke-Joneshas made several trips toMavericks and surfed in the 2001Contest.

Kenny CollinsWhether it’s tow-surfing or pad-dling, Collins tends to stand outon the biggest, nastiest days atMavericks. He was part of a titan-ic semifinal in the 2000 contestthat will go down with the mostmemorable heats in surfing histo-ry. A life-threatening wipeout at“Jaws,” in December of 2004, hadCollins pausing to sort out his pri-orities. But he has bounced backwith a vengeance.

Randy ConeInsiders rank Cone as the purestbrand of new Mavericks surfer.Instead of mindlessly paddlinginto the fray at first glance, Conestudied the place, approached itgradually and earned his spot inthe lineup through sheer respect.A renowned shaper, and also partof the tow-in movement, the SanFrancisco-based Cone stays trueto his paddling roots and reachedthe semifinals of last year’s con-test.

Leigh Ann Maze Leigh Ann Maze maverickssurf.com stylingsurf.com Leigh Ann Maze Ed Grant

Danilo CoutoEmerging from the shadow ofBrazilian countryman Carlos Burle,Couto gained an automatic entryon the basis of his semifinal per-formance last year. An extremelytalented backsider who managedto stand out on the unforgettablebut insanely crowded Jaws (Maui)session of Dec. 15, 2004, Coutohas made several trips toMavericks while showing the onetrait these guys all have in com-mon: He has no fear.

Shane DesmondHe is undoubtedly the mostaccomplished backside surfer inMavericks history, having riddenthe place with fearless abandonsince the mid-1990s.Some sayonly a crazy man would consis-tently surf Mavericks with hisback to the wave, but Desmondhas proven to be an extremelysmart, calculating performer. Hewon the 2005 XXL Paddle-Inaward for his astounding ride dur-ing the Mavericks Surf Contest.

Brock LittleConsidering that he only ridesMavericks at contest time, theHawaii-based Little has amazedeveryone with his adaptability.Forever known for his epic take-off on a 30-foot wave in the 1990Eddie Aikau contest, and morerecently as a sought-afterHollywood stuntman, the 38-year-old Little has an impressiveMavericks record: seventh in1999, seventh (in a tie with JayMoriarity) in 2000, another equalseventh (with Shawn Rhodes) in2005 and third place last year.

Greg LongAt 23, Long is considered a strongthreat to win it all. He alwaysseems to be in the right place:Cortes Bank, Todos Santos,Oregon, Chile, South Africa —wherever big waves are happen-ing. Long won the 2004 Red BullSouth Africa Contest at Dungeons,one of the most dangerousbreaks on the planet, and finishedsecond in the 2005 MavericksSurf Contest.

Josh LoyaThis West Side veteran hasadmitted to a fear of heights, butstaring down the ledge of aMavericks beast doesn’t seem tobother him. Respected worldwidefor his grace and elegance in anyconditions, Loya has been surfingMavericks for years, graduatingeffortlessly into the tow-in move-ment while keeping in touch withhis paddle-in skills. Like his SantaCruz compatriots, Loya became apolished surfer through years ofwintertime pilgrimages to Hawaii.

Garrett McNamaraSome talk about jet-setting theirway through the big-wave uni-verse, but McNamara truly livesthe dream. He is best known forwinning tow-in contests withpartners from his native Hawaii,and he showed up at Mavericksfor some giant tow-in sessionsthis winter. But as a longtimelocal legend at Sunset andPipeline, McNamara can paddle-surf with anyone.

Elisse Marinaccimaverickssurf.com Amanda Vlastas Elisse Marinacci Elisse Marinacci maverickssurf.com

bios of the 24

2007 mavericks viewer’s guide

Peter MelTo say that he’s “due” would beputting it mildly. For years, Melhas been the hands-down choiceas Mavericks’ most talented, influ-ential surfer. He was a pioneer ofthe Northern California tow-inmovement and ranks with RichardSchmidt as the best-knownNorthern California surfer in inter-national competition over theyears. But he still hasn’t won thiscontest, having fallen victim tobad luck, bad timing, and (in hisopinion) perhaps a dubious judgingcall or two.

Shawn RhodesHe may be 37 years old, but theman has a teenager’s enthusiasmand remains a big-time threat inany contest he enters. Someknow him mostly as the longtimeowner of the NorCal surf shop inPacifica, “but when it’s reallygiant,” says Clark, “Rhodes is thekind of guy you see out atMavericks when everyone else isrunning for cover.”

Ryan SeelbachSeelbach advanced to the semifi-nals in the last three contests, fin-ishing 12th, ninth and seventhrespectively. In 2006, he finishedjust one point shy of making thefinal heat, despite also takinghome the Heaviest Wipeoutaward — and is hungry to be inthe final six. As a San Franciscoresident, Seelbach is passionateabout getting out in the surf, atany size, up and down theNorthern California coast.However, if Mavericks is break-ing, he will be found on the bowlcharging the big ones.

Evan SlaterIn methodical, relentless fashion,Slater is making his mark as oneof the all-time greats of big-waveriding. A number of things couldhave sidetracked him — becom-ing editor of Surfing Magazine,raising a family, taking a career-threatening wipeout (forcingmajor knee surgery) at Mavericks— but he’s always there when itmatters. Emerging from a toughsemifinal in last year’s contest,Slater finished sixth while takingone of his signature wipeoutsalong the way.

Russell SmithOne of last year’s semifinalsfound Russell in the same heatwith his brother, Tyler. Althoughhe didn’t advance, Russell provedhis worth as a main-list entrantand gained an automatic berththis year. Based on their perform-ances at Ghost Tree andMavericks, it won’t be long untilthe Santa Cruz-based Smiths findtheir names alongside Malloy,McNamara, Keaulana, Long andIrons among the top brother actsin big-wave surfing.

Tyler SmithPeople saw the photos andvideos of Smith riding the surreal-istically large “Ghost Tree” break,in Monterey, and wondered,“Who is this guy?” They havefound the answer in Maverickscontests, where Smith finishedsecond last year in epic condi-tions. The previous winter, slidinginto the main draw as an alter-nate, Smith surfed his way intothe final and finished third.

Amanda Vlastas Amanda Vlastas Elisse MarinacciElisse Marinacci maverickssurf.com maverickssurf.com

Jamie SterlingJust as the Ken Bradshaw crewgave way to the Brock Little gen-eration, Sterling heads up thenew wave of Hawaiian big-wavesurfers, joining the likes of MarkHealey, Jamie O’Brien, MakuaRothman and Kalani Chapman asconstant threats at Waimea.Many are curious to see how hefares at Mavericks. Judging fromhis performances around theworld, he is not likely to disap-point.

Anthony TashnickA legend at 16, when he steppedup to ride what many called the“wave of the winter” atMavericks in 2001, Tashnick isnow a mainstay in the world ofbig-wave riding. The latest in along line of chargers from theWest Side of Santa Cruz, Tashnickwon the 2005 Mavericks SurfContest in such dominant fashion,there was no question whowould take home the trophy.Well-traveled in his thirst for bigwaves, Tashnick had the honor ofbeing named to the alternate listof the prestigious Eddie AikauContest this year in Hawaii.

Daryl “Flea” VirostkoIn stunning fashion, Virostko woneach of the first three MavericksContests, solidifying his reputa-tion for all time. Anywhere in theworld, you’d be hard-pressed tofind anyone who so perfectlycombines a crazy, almost recklessattitude with raw ability. Still,after going two years withoutmaking a mark in the MavericksSurf Contest, Flea has somethingto prove. That makes his pres-ence doubly interesting.

Grant WashburnFrom his filmmaking to his workon the book “Inside Mavericks”to his constant presence in thelineup, Washburn is probably theleading spokesman on Mavericks.Not since Greg Noll has any big-wave rider been so proficient atperformance and documentation,and it is widely believed thatWashburn puts in more Maverickstime than anyone. Always astandout in the Red Bull SouthAfrica Contest, Washburn was aMavericks finalist in 2004 and2006.

John WhittleAs Grant Washburn describes him,“A South African legend. The sto-ries are almost too radical tobelieve, until you meet the guyand see him in the water. Veryintense and incredibly talented.”A die-hard paddler from CapeTown, Whittle refuses to considertowing, even in waves surpassing25 feet. He won the 2006 RedBull South Africa Contest over acast of all-stars and would love toprove his worth at Mavericks.

Zach WormhoudtAnother key member of the WestSide crew from Santa Cruz,Wormhoudt got some long-over-due recognition in 2004, when hewon the Billabong XXL Award forthe biggest paddle-in wave of thewinter. His semifinal finish lastyear established him among themost consistently solid perform-ers in the history of theMavericks Surf Contest, havingfinished eighth in 1999, fifth in2000 and fourth in 2005.

— Biographies provided byMavericks Surf Ventures. Visit it on the web at www.maverickssurf.com

hovenvision.com Leigh Ann Maze Amanda Vlastas Leigh Ann Maze maverickssurf.com Ed Grant

On the cover: Brock Little of Oahu carves a turn at the bottom ofa Mavericks wave during the final heat of the 2006 contest,which he finished in third place. Photo by Leigh Ann Maze / Review

2007 mavericks viewer’s guide

ocal treasure

By Lewis Rutherfurdlewis@hmbreview.com

You can’t just cruise byand check out Mavericks.

On a t rip down the coast from San Francisco a dr iverwill car ve the cur ves ar ound De vil’s Slide w ithglimpses of jade-green c oves, thumping wa ves and

endless ocean popping from every corner. The road opensup at M ontara and the e ye jumps t o a classic st retch ofgolden sand and the beach break booming on shallow bars.

But then the sho w’s o ver for a w hile and the P acificgives wa y t o smal l-town life, with t rim houses, roadsiderestaurants, a quaint little airport where the kids can watcha plane land, a fishing harbor and ... then you’ve missed it.As most people do.

The r eef that mak es M avericks w ork sits under c oldwater far from Highway 1, guarded by sharp rocks and theoccasional Great White shark. To the average Joe, it’s a ship-ping hazard at w orst, a marine habitat at best. Until r ightabout now, that is.

When the M avericks S urf Contest is on, everythingchanges. The event has taken firm root among the short list

of big-wave events around the world. It is one of only threevenues where top big-wave surfers can padd le into seriouswaves for the sak e of money and e xposure, and p erhapseven friendship.

The c ontest has r un six times sinc e 1999, bringingwith it a st eady incr ease in public int erest. And w hileMavericks c hurns away in the c old, big-wave surfing hasbecome hot in the mainst ream w ith mo vies, advertise-ments and contests featuring strapping surfers and roaringJet Skis.

Just where does M avericks fit int o the larger w orld ofsurf? It’s a hard place to hype, even with cartoonish photosof wet-suited stick-men to peddle. Many of its most devot-ed riders don’t want the att ention. But Mavericks may justhave the best riders, surfing the best big waves in the worldon that day. And who can turn away from that?

A special br eed | The contest at M avericks is ofthe old fashioned sor t. People sit on boar ds, paddle hardand thr ow themsel ves int o the peak. There is no t ow-inassist from a high-powered watercraft. Only the QuiksilverBig Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau contest inHawaii, known commonly simply as “The Eddie,” the RedBull Big Wave Africa contest in South Africa and Mavericksprovide big-wave venues for this kind ofevent. Each contestcomes with a w indow in which it can be held, to allow for

truly large surf.“It’s a differ ent perspecti ve,” said Rand y Rar ick, a

surfer and boar d builder w ho has long r un some ofHawaii’s biggest pro contests, including events at the Banzai

Mavericks has a place amongbest big-wave spots anywhere

globalphenomenon,

Photo by Leigh Ann Maze / Review

After being eliminated during the second heat of the2006 contest, Mavericks veteran Peter Mel takes sometime out of the water to talk with NBC Sports .

2007 mavericks viewer’s guide

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Pipeline. “You’ve got gu ys w ho surf in big-wa ve c onteststhat wouldn’t make very good competitive surfers in a per-formance event — they’re good surfers, but they’re special-ists.”

Rarick added that ther e ar e al ways a few cr ossovertypes, like eig ht-time w orldchampion K elly Slat er, who hasplaced sec ond at M avericks andwon the Eddie Aikau.

“It’s kind of like the Eddiein some r espects,” Rarick said ofthe Mavericks contest. “It’s got aroster of international c ompeti-tors and local gu ys. A lot mor einternational pros would proba-bly want to do it if the water waswarmer.

“The uniqueness of thatevent up ther e,” he said, “is thatit’s the gu ys w ho surf the plac eand ha ve de voted themsel ves t oit that get to be in the contest — and rightfully so.”

Rarick said that he had g reat respect for anyone whowanted to take on Mavericks, but he thought that the Eddie“probably has a bit more prestige.”

That prestige has everything to do with Aikau himself

and the spectacular natural amphitheater that Waimea Bayon the I sland of Oahu pr ovides. Aikau was a nati veHawaiian and a r eal surfer’s surfer —w ith a simple, hard-charging st yle in big wa ves. He was the gu y t o wat ch atWaimea in his er a, and a r espected lifeguard to boot. He

died young when a replica of a tra-ditional Polynesian outrigger cap-sized on a t rip to recreate ancientmigratory routes. He had paddledoff alone to find help.

“In terms of spiritual events,really r eaching the hear t of big-wave surfing contests, nothing cantouch the Eddie Aikau e vent inHawaii,” said B ruce J enkins, theauthor of several books on big-wave surfing, and a sur fer himselfwho cal ls near by M ontara hishome break. “It honors the spir itof Aikau, who died at sea trying tosave the li ves of others,” he added

in an e-mail message. “And there is a v ery sp ecial feelingsurrounding that event.”

The actual wa ve at M avericks is gener ally consideredbetter, Jenkins said, with longer rides and a more consistentchallenge to make it to the kick-out.

“Waimea, even at giant size, is essentially just a drop,”he wrote. “A frightening drop, but once you’ve pulled thatoff, the r est of the wa ve is far mor e negotiable thanMavericks.”

More religion than sport | Surfing is not muchof a sport. Call it a pastime, a lifestyle — or even a religion.Fitting the act of riding waves into a standard competitivemodel can leave a few raw edges.

“The Eddie’s really the or iginal big-wave event,” saidMatt Warshaw, a for mer edit or of Surfer M agazine andauthor of a book on Mavericks and the history of big-wavesurfing, as well as “The Encyclopedia of Surfing.”

“It’s as spiritual as you can get when you are basicallydoing the whole event to promote your company,” he said.“It started as the Eddie Aikau, and now it’s the Quiksilver— and so on — in memor y of ... His name k eeps gettingfarther down the title.”

Warshaw said that not e veryone lik es the idea of acontest at M avericks, even thoug h he thoug ht that theevent has been lo w-key compared to the hea vy commer-cialism, flags and banners of pro c ontests in Souther nCalifornia.

“Don’t kid yourself,” he added. “None of these eventsare about the spirituality of big wave surfing.”

Jeff Clark is the name most associat ed with Mavericks.

‘the day after thecontest the same

guys will all be outthere, catching

waves.’— grant washburn, surfer

Tyler Smith of Santa Cruz takesoff on a set wave during the

final heat of last year's contest, helping him to earn

his spot in second place,behind contest winner Grant

Baker of South Africa.

Photo by Leigh Ann Maze / Review

2007 mavericks viewer’s guide

C a r l s e n V o l v o4 1 9 0 E l C a m i n o R e a lP a l o A l t o , C A 9 4 3 0 6( 6 5 0 ) 4 9 3 - 1 5 1 5w w w . c a r l s e n v o l v o . c o m

He earned the position through years of hard paddling and lone-ly sessions before the spot became a household name. He is serv-ing as the c ontest director this y ear and w ill be the head of thewater safety patrol as well. Grant Baker, last year’s winner and astandout at Dungeons, the break where the Big Wave Africa con-test is held, is staying at Clark’s house. Clark took time out fromshopping at Costco with another of this year’s contestants, to jug-gle a cell phone and compare the big three contests.

“How (Mavericks) compares is, it’s the best big-wave pad-dle-in spot in the w orld,” he said. “And the gu ys that tak e thetime to learn and to ride the spot are the best in the world.”

That being said, Clark wasn ’t about t o hear talk of theEddie becoming a festival of commerce.

“Not at al l,” said Clar k w ho attended this y ear’s openingceremonies for the Eddie. “I think p eople who say that proba-bly weren’t there — that’s the root of it all.”

The root of it all for big-wa ve contests may be the Eddie,but the heart of any surf spot are the people who show up yearafter year to paddle out.

“If I had m y druthers, I would rather not ha ve a c ontestthan have one,” said John Raymond.

Raymond has surfed M avericks since 1990, “almost everyswell,” and was an alternate in the first event held there. He saidthat the en vironmental damage fr om p eople cr owding thecoastal bluffs and fr om the e xhaust of boats swarming in thewater was a hig h pr ice for the e xposure a few surfers r eceivefrom the event.

“It’s a mag nificent sight to see Mavericks surfed,” he said.“But you can do that all the time, ‘cause each day is a big thingand all the guys who love it and surf it will be there.

“I surf there all the time and t ourists will always come upand ask me if I’m waiting for ‘the Maverick’ — as if the placeonly happens once for this big contest.”

Raymond said that M avericks could br eak 80 times in agood year, from October to April. He said that e ven in a badyear you could expect at least 30 days of good surf.

“We know most of the guys in the contest and that helps,”he said. “I think if it came to the point where most of the peo-ple who surf in it are from somewhere else, then there would beeven more of a backlash.”

Finding middle ground | Grant Washburn would beright in the middle of that backlash. Washburn has long been arespected regular at M avericks. He’s competed in man y of thecontests here and traveled to South Africa for the Red Bull eventin 2006.

“It’s definitely a kind of historic event now,” he said ofthe M avericks c ontest. “When the first set of events w eregoing in the 1990s ther e w ere r eally no big-wa ve c ontestsaround, just the Eddie. That had been going sinc e the mid’80s but it r arely went off — maybe once every five years. Ifyou actually car ed about competing in it, then it wasn’t thebest situation.”

Washburn rides the fence between participant and skep-tic when it comes to big-wave contests, but says that most peo-ple who surf in them do so because the y love the sport.

“The contest is r eally a st range channel for e xperiencingbig wave surfing,” he said. “It’s not a c ompetitive thing, peopleare not out ther e t rying t o beat eac h other and w ishing theother guy would wipe out.”

The atmosphere at the South African event struck him as akind of compromise between friendship and competition.

“It seemed to me like the Big Wave Africa guys did a betterjob of keeping it about the surfing and the camar aderie in thewater,” he said.“They basically paid for us to come over and staywith them and cr oss pol linate betw een the tw o sur f breaks.There were surf trips to other spots and e veryone went out t osurf Dungeons (the reef off Cape Town where the event is held)and at the end there was a contest.”

Washburn said that last y ear’s M avericks w inner, Grant“Twiggy” Baker, was invited to Mavericks as a result of that tripand his st ellar surfing at Dungeons, a cold water venue that iseven more “sharky” than Mavericks. The 2006 Big Wave Africawinner John Whittle is in the main event this year at Mavericksas well.

“Half way through (last y ear’s Mavericks contest) Twiggysaid — he y let ’s split the mone y,” Washburn said. “And inSouth Africa the y kind of do that,” he added. “I think in theU.S. the competition and the money and the TV mentality arejust different. That camaraderie isn’t there as much.”

Washburn said he would try to do his bit to make it a bet-ter event.

“You can’t just shut down one of the best surf spots on theplanet for a TV show — unless it’s a really good TV show!” Hesaid. “It has to be worthwhile and a really well-run event.”

Regardless of what happens in the wat er this y ear,Mavericks has mor e than ar rived as a g lobal phenomenon —and a local treasure.

“The day after the contest,” said Washburn,“the same guyswill all be out there, catching waves.” ■

Photos by Leigh Ann Maze / Review

Top left, Surfer Josh Loya waxes his board from the back of a Jet Ski in preparation for the second heat of the 2006 competition. Bottom left, Half Moon Bay native Jeff Clark is allsmiles on his Jet Ski during the 2006 competition, with a competitor in tow. Clark, the name most associated with Mavericks, began surfing the break alone long before the rest ofthe world knew about it, and is contest director and head of water safety patrol. Right, Big waves mean big wipeouts, like this one from last year's competition.

TO HALF MOON BAY

When is the contest?Your guess is as good asours at this writing.Organizers will monitor theswells and participants andspectators will have 24-hours notice. Keep aneye on hmbreview.com —we’ll post the start time assoon as we hear anything.

Road closures, parkingContest organizers andcounty officials are tryingsomething different to alle-viate last year’s congestion.Sheriff’s officials plan tokeep Capistrano Road open,both north and south ofProspect Way. There will beno left turn onto Highway 1northbound from northCapistrano Road andProspect will be closed to allbut those with legitimatebusiness in the Princetonarea. The plan is to encour-age spectators to park atthe Half Moon BeachAirport, via an entrance offof Capistrano Road. Shuttleswill run continuouslythrough the day, bringingfolks closer to the action.Organizers say it will cost$15 to park in the harbor orairport lots.

Map by Bill Murray / Review

Copyright (C) 2002-2005 Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman, California Coastal Records Project,www.Californiacoastline.org

Best viewsWell, that is a good question.Mavericks breaks a half-mile offshore,so seeing the competition is difficult.Bring binoculars. Climbing the bluffs isextremely dangerous and ill-advised.

Need more info?Try www.maverickssurf.com. Alsocheck the Review Web site,www.hmbreview.com for the latestspectator updates as we receive them.