Last year at Mavericks was certainly one for the record books, and we’re all crossing our fingers for as good of a season at the infamous big-wave destination this year. So far, the season at Mavs has been promising. Things got kicked off last weekend with the massive swell brought on by an atmospheric river that hit the U.S. West Coast, but it was by no means a picture-perfect start to the season. With the storm right on top of us in California, conditions were downright messy, as you can see in this video from Powerlines Productions.
With that in mind I’m sure that no one – not even Luca Padua who’s surfing in the Powerlines clip above – will be disappointed by the fact that the window for wave submissions officially opens on November 1, this Monday, so anything from last weekend probably won’t make the cut. The team at Mavericks Surf Awards had a great first run with its digital surf contest last year during the pandemic, and this year the competition will run in much the same way, but with a few modifications they told us about in August. In addition, it’s a paddle-only competition this year, so tow waves will not be considered. Sorry, Luca. As always, it’s made-waves only.
However, what they didn’t tell us at the time, was that at the end of the submissions window there will be an in-person awards ceremony and event, the Mavericks Festival, on May 1, 2022, a step up for the Mavericks Surf Awards, which aims to “celebrate Mavericks and the brave men and women who dare to surf it.”
“This year we asked ourselves what we could do to continue to evolve the Mavericks awards and double down on our mission of inclusivity,” Mavericks Surf Awards co-founder Chris Cuvelier told me over the phone. “The logistics of the one-day event is tricky to get right, and in shutting down the lineup, doesn’t exactly speak to inclusivity. Well, we realized Half Moon Bay is known for three things: fishing, pumpkins, and Mavericks. Well, there’s a fish and fleet festival, there’s a pumpkin festival, but there’s no Mavericks Festival! So we decided to create one.”
Sunset over Mavericks from the Pillar Point Harbor, where the Mavericks Festival will take place. Photo: Will Sileo
Pillar Point Harbor will host the Festival, where boats and jetskis launch to take surfers out to the Mavericks. It will be open to the public, with food and drink vendors from the area, live music, and a surf zone to meet athletes and photographers. The winners will be announced during the event, including the three male and three female event categories.
“Think about fresh fish, think about good beer, think about good music,” says Chris. “And some of the best Mavericks surfers from around the world hanging out and telling stories. It should be pretty cool.”
