The winter routine is kicking into gear in NorCal. The days have been chilly. The words “atmospheric river” have returned to daily news feeds. The masses can now make their weekend pilgrimage from the Bay Area to Tahoe as chair lifts begin to fire up. And now, big wave season is officially upon us.
A west swell swung its way across the Pacific Ocean and showed up at Maverick’s on Tuesday morning, November 12. Things were cooking by the time the tide dropped in the afternoon and all hands were on deck for Opening Day, including Santa Cruz locals Wilem Banks and Alo Slebir who took home Ride of the Year and Performer of the Year in last year’s Mavericks Awards. San Diego’s Jojo Roper was another 2023-2024 winner who made the trek up the West Coast to kick off the new season, and plenty of others who will be getting into the mix for the season-long big wave contest.
This year’s digital awards contest will acknowledge winners for Performer of the Year, Biggest Wave, and Ride of the Year for both men and women during the season. Prize money is split 60 percent to the athlete and 40 percent to the image maker, be it photographer or filmer. According to the Mavericks Awards, organizers expect the prize purse each year to be between $25,000 and as much as $100,000, depending on sponsor involvement. Last year’s purse, for example, reached $25,000. And by the looks of these opening-day highlights, it’s gonna be a good year.
