Organizers have been tracking the oncoming storm for days now. Jeff Clark, the man behind the competition and owner of Mavericks Surf Shop, says the weather models look great.
"I think the waves are going to be anywhere from 30 feet plus, but it's a strong swell cause its coming from a long distance away; so it has a very, man, its powerful," he said.
The Mavericks break is located one-half mile off shore of Pillar Point along the San Mateo County coast. Twenty-four of the world's best surfers will be going against strong currents, frigid waters and jagged rocks to ride the big waves.
The best place to watch the contest is at the Mavericks Festival, an outdoor festival held on the grounds of the Oceano Hotel & Spa. Attendees can watch a live feed of the contest and attend the contest awards ceremony. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $20 on the day of the festival.
Spectators are not allowed to watch the event from the beach or surrounding bluffs. The swells that contribute to the excitement of the surf contest often flood the beach and the environmentally-sensitive cliffs cannot tolerate large crowds.
The contest will be streamed online for those who cannot attend the festival.
The last Mavericks contest was held on Feb. 12, 2010.
THE COMPETITORS
- Matt Ambrose
- RyanAugenstein
- Grant "Twiggy" Baker
- Chris Bertish
- Carlos Burle
- Ken "Skindog" Collins
- Shane Desmond
- Shawn Dollar
- Shane Dorian
- Nathan Fletcher
- Mark Healey
- Rusty Long
- Greg Long
- Alex Martins
- Peter Mel
- Ryan Seelbach
- Kelly Slater
- Tyler Smith
- Jamie Sterling
- Anthony Tashnick
- Grant Washburn
- Dave Wassel
- Ben Wilkinson
- Zach Wormhoudt
THE ALTERNATES
1. Tyler Fox (Santa Cruz)
2. Josh Loya (Santa Cruz)
3. Colin Dwyer (Pacifica)
4. Nic Lamb (Santa Cruz)
5. Danilo Couto (Brazil)
6. Derek Dunfee (San Diego)
7. Ben Andrews (San Francisco)
8. Andrew Marr (South Africa)
9. Travis Payne (Pacifica)
10. Ion Banner (Half Moon Bay)
11. Kohl Christensen (Hawaii)
12. Shawn Rhodes (Pacifica)
13. Mike Gerhardt (Santa Cruz)
14. Garret McNamara (Hawaii)
15. Russel Smith (Santa Cruz)
16. Jamie Mitchel (Australia)
17. Frank Solomon (South Africa)
