Maverick’s has been on fire this past winter. As spring begins to spring and those long summer days creep closer, though, that big wave season is drawing the curtains. It’s likely that the swell that hit Mav’s on March 11th will be the last really big one of the season, but I’m no Nostradamus.
An interesting aside about the name, if you’ll allow me a few moments. Back in 1963, Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson and Dick Knottmeyer surfed off Pillar Point. It was the only spot that was protected from the northwest winds, and they surfed inside the rocks, just a 100-or-so yards off the beach. The waves there were mellow longboard waves, but breaking far beyond on those big days was the wave we know now as Maverick’s.
Alex Matienzo had a German shepherd named Maverick, and he’d swim out every time they paddled out. They’d eventually tie him to the bumper to keep him out of the water, and so they decided he’d be the spot’s namesake. It was Maverick’s spot. And since English is English, Maverick’s needs that possessive apostrophe — at least in my head. But since English is English, Mavericks tends to be the more prevalent usage.
Many of the usual crew was out there on the eleventh getting that last gasp before hunkering down for the summer. People like Trevor Collins, Tyler Bastille, Jack Akrop, Trevor Carlson, and many more made their appearances, and it’s likely they’re hoping that this wasn’t the last time it’ll be truly working this year. And, as usual, Powerlines Productions was there to film.
To recap the season, one needs to look no further than Pete Mel. On one incredible day in particular, December 29th, Mel took off into a wave that stunned everyone who saw it. When Mav’s gets good, you can bet that Pete Mel will be there, chasing a unicorn wave that he’s already caught once back on January 8th, 2023.
