Photo by Sergei Gussev

Maverick's Beach is a popular winter destination for some of the world's best big wave surfers. Very few riders become big wave surfers, and only a select few are willing to risk the hazardous conditions at Maverick's. Waves can routinely crest at over 25 feet and top out at over 80 feet, especially after a strong winter Pacific Ocean storm. The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation. An invitation-only contest is held there every winter, depending on wave conditions.

It is located approximately 2 miles from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea. You can access Maverick's via West Point Avenue.

Other than a few close friends of Jeff Clark, the first person to tackle Maverick's huge waves head-on, no big wave surfers believed in Maverick's existence. The popular opinion of the time was that there simply were no large, Hawaii-sized waves in California. In 1990, a photo of Maverick's was published in Surfer magazine, which triggered a flood of interest as surfers realized that world-class big waves could be found in California. As news of Maverick's spread, many big-wave surfers came to surf the new break, bringing hoards of spectators. The death of the famed Hawaiian big-wave rider Mark Foo here gave Maverick's deadly surf a new warranted infamy but also prompted the formation of the Maverick's Water Patrol to protect big-wave surfers while they are surfing in the dangerous winter surf. Since then, Maverick's has been featured in dozens of films. In 2011, Gerard Butler escaped a near death accident while filming the movie "Of Men and Mavericks."

The description above was copied from or heavily based on Swim Guide, with permission.

More Information

• Swim Guide - Weather and water quality for Pillar Point 8 - Maverick's Beach and 8,000 other beaches.