Mavericks

The break.

Right reefExpertLocal heavy

Half Moon Bay, the Mavericks contest

A granite reef outside Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay. Mavericks is a cold, thick, right-hand big-wave spot that only shows itself in winter. Jeff Clark surfed it alone for years. Then the world found it. The parking lot is a lookout. The water is not a lookout.

When.

November to March

North and northwest Pacific swell in winter. It has to be a real pulse.

Worth knowing.

1. 1. Most people watch from the cliff at Pillar Point. That is the right call if you are not a regular.
2. 2. The water is cold and the hold-downs are long. This is not a paddle-out to try.
3. 3. Great whites hunt this stretch. That is documented, not folklore.
4. 4. Winter is the only season that matters. A small day at Mavericks is just a reef in the fog.

Go.

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