The 2022-2023 big wave season was far from headline grabbing like previous years. Yes, the big wave staples across the globe still turned on and did their thing. But we weren’t constantly bombarded with waves of the century and purple blobs sending athletes into an overnight flight-purchasing frenzy every other week.
When it was all said and done and spring rolled around in Northern California, the Mavericks community still got together to celebrate putting a season in the books. Since 2019, the Mavericks Awards has been building its season-long digital contest format as a way to ditch the traditional, single-day structure of a big wave contest. It’s also expanded to include more opportunities for female prize winners in recent years and maintains a 60-40 surfer/photographer or videographer prize money split for awards.
And with a season like this one, that all translated to a brighter spotlight on the locals who call the place home. San Francisco’s Bianca Valenti swept three awards in the women’s category while two Santa Cruz Locals, Ryan Augenstein (Ride of the Year) and Alo Slebir (Performer of the Year) were given high honors too.
Meanwhile, the wave dished out its punishment without discrimination. Everybody got their fair share in 2023. Getting crushed by the lip, sent over the falls, caught inside by a cleanup set — nobody was immune from paying dues.
