Massive Waves at Mavericks

During the early hours of the morning the storm finally broke, and when we emerged from 'The Toaster' we found blue skies and a chilly wind that was slowly being warmed by the suns morning rays.


We were both cheery and in high spirits, laughing and joking about everything, it was as though with the breaking of the storm we had felt a huge relief. Somehow I just knew that today was going to be a good day. 


But before we could go out exploring (in the car that Mary Lou, our amazing host had lent us), we had to try and resolve our current money problems. Despite it being almost brand new, our credit/debit card had recently given up the ghost on us, so we'd been left unable to withdraw money (it still works if you enter the numbers manually- we've tried every imaginable trick, even those not from the book!). So we headed off towards San Francisco after Shanna had spent about an hour on the phone with Mastercard International.


On the way there we decided to make a detour and see what Mavericks was doing. If you haven't heard of Mavericks before then, well lets just say that you should have heard of this place. There are only two premier big wave spots in the world, and this is one of them. Not only that, but Mavericks is the only place in the world where waves, rideable waves over 100 foot in height have been seen, making it the most likely place that the 100 feet barrier will finally be broken, and the $500,000 Billabong sponsored award claimed. 


Anyway, waves don't normally break very big, or at all, there this time of year, so I had no expectations when I climbed the cliff and the barbed wire fence at the top, disappearing from Shanna's view before scaling the ridge through the scrub for a few hundred meters just to catch a glimpse of the spot.


On my way down there, just before I was about to stand in the mother of all prickly bushes and bust open my toe, I looked up to see a giant wave screaming across the coast and, to my amazement I could just make out a tiny figure flying across it. 


Even though I wasn't even paddling into the water myself my heart started beating a lot faster, and when I saw another huge wave come roaring through the lineup, boards flying through the air and tiny ant men desperately scratching at the water, I couldn't believe my luck!


Still can't actually. 


More than an hour later I pulled myself back from the spectacular show and began walking back along the cliffs. I scrambled and slid back down the steep escarpment, much to the amusement (cheers and laughter) of a small crowd that had gathered down below (and the dismay of Shanna). 


'Where on earth have you been Samuel! I thought you'd fallen off the cliff!'


Keep in mind when you check out the photos that all of the surfers are paddling into the waves (they're not using jet-skis!). Also, the photos themselves were all taken from the top of a 150 foot cliff, so the perspective when you are level with the waves (or in the water) is completely different, or in other words, it's a hell of a lot bigger than it looks.