12/22/24
February 08, 2006
What would it take to ride one of these?: Think about it...what would you require in terms of monetary or any other kind of reward to jump on one of those 40 or 50-foot monster waves at Mavericks? Personally, no amount would get me out there...ok, maybe a date with Jessica Alba...
posted by donnnnychris to extreme at 06:09 AM - 20 comments
I would do it only if I got to wear Jessica Alba's undercarriage on my face like a feed sack while I was ridding the wave.
posted by Turbo at 07:07 AM on February 08, 2006
And they say poetry is dead.
posted by yerfatma at 08:46 AM on February 08, 2006
My doctor rides at Mavericks on a regular basis. I'll have to ask him more about this.
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:27 AM on February 08, 2006
My good friend Mark was killed at Mavericks on a relatively normal day there. Mark was the most talented surfer I have ever met, I would not go out there in a million years. Just not a safe thing.
posted by everett at 11:37 AM on February 08, 2006
Ok, that's funny sfts2...and I agree, those guys have got the biggest, brassiest balls on the planet to jump on those waves, no matter where they are. I've watched several documentaries on big-wave surfing and have followed the sport from the time Laird Hamilton revolutionized it with the tow-in style to today's crazy daredevils. Truly amazing stuff. I can remember boogie boarding little 5 to 7 footers in Santa Cruz as a teenager, and I thought THOSE were huge. Couldn't even imagine 30, 40 or 50 foot waves. That doesn't even compute. I have a lot of admiration for extreme skiing, but big-wave surfers are a different breed because in their sport, the mountain is actually moving and changing constantly. Not to knock skiers by any means but I've actually gone down a few double diamond runs. I would NEVER jump on a surfboard and ride one of those waves. Forget what I said...Jessica Alba would be out of luck.
posted by donnnnychris at 02:19 PM on February 08, 2006
cowabunga, lets go and live on the sand, just like in the sixties
posted by duecesw1ld at 02:20 PM on February 08, 2006
Not to mention the very cold water and great white sharks that lurk in the waters at Maveriks. Very scary place indeed. I believe this is a paddle-in and not a tow-in event based on the "gun" sized surfboard Peter Mel is riding. An even more difficult task to paddle into one of these monsters.
posted by madchad at 02:28 PM on February 08, 2006
If you are motivated by money big wave surfing is not for you. You just do it because you love to. There is no bigger thrill. I do consider Laird Hamilton to be one of the worlds greatest atheletes. Mark Foo's death at Mavericks a few years back illustrates how even on a relatively small day, that particular spot can be deadly to the most highly skilled and experienced. Take it from someone that has surfed big cold water waves, there is nothing more challenging in sports.
posted by Atheist at 04:50 PM on February 08, 2006
fatty, you kill me sometimes.
posted by Samsonov14 at 06:35 PM on February 08, 2006
Hey WC2002, Good thing your doctor is a doctor I guess
posted by Wrigley South at 07:35 PM on February 08, 2006
An even more difficult task to paddle into one of these monsters Quite right, madchad. I didn't look closely at the photo, but just assumed that Mavericks was a tow in situation. Good to hear from some surfers on this site amongst the new members. There's been a few surfing FPPs in the past but not as much interest.
posted by owlhouse at 01:11 AM on February 09, 2006
Owlhouse, I think Mavericks is a tow-in situation when it gets really huge. Most of the time the waves are paddle-in. The guy who discovered it surfed it for years by himself before the rest of the surfing community found out about it, so he had to paddle in I'm assuming.
posted by donnnnychris at 01:23 AM on February 09, 2006
I would do this in a second. (Rutting with starlets also welcome but not necessary.)
posted by chicobangs at 01:46 AM on February 09, 2006
Just because the thread is dying and surfers are riding here, let me ask...anyone know what the current status of the foam board industry is since that major producer quit making the material...has anything changed? New producers, new investment/buy-out etc. I'd post a link, but don't actually have any clue on search terms (tried foam surf board)...it just struck me as an sad/interesting development. Surfers...any idea on what I'm talking about?
posted by sfts2 at 01:10 PM on February 09, 2006
Mavericks is one of those purists type spots. Ross Clarke surfed this spot for many years alone because he couldn't find anybody else that had the balls to paddle out there with him. It is like a 3/4 mile paddle from the rocky shoreline. The watercrafts that you see in the pics are "taxis" for the surfers and camera people when they are doing photo shoots. On a regular day most of the guys out there are paddling in to these waves. Although i have not seen this wave in person, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that the amount of water just falling from the top of these waves could kill you upon making the slightest mistake. We are talking about thousands of gallons of water being heaved at a rapid rate. It definitely takes a skilled and confident surfer to ride giants like these. As far as the foam industry goes, loosing Clark Foam was a devastating blow to the surfboard builders. Their production was unmatched by others in the industry. This just gives the other foam blank buliders a chance to step it up and collect on the other 90% of the market that Clark had locked down for decades
posted by madchad at 03:03 PM on February 09, 2006
thanks, I hope someone steps up...I always wished I'd learned to surf...
posted by sfts2 at 03:54 PM on February 09, 2006
sfts2...I read an article about Clark closing down and it said there are 2 or 3 smaller companies trying to pick up the slack but it's nearly impossible to replace 90 percent of the market (which is what Clark had) overnight. Needless to say, it's going to be a tough road for surfers in finding quality blanks for a while. According to the article most surfboad-building shops aren't selling blanks to customers, they are keeping them for their own production of boards, which is making it hard for the individual board-builders out there. Hopefully someone will step up in a big way, and soon...
posted by donnnnychris at 07:44 PM on February 09, 2006
Hey Donnnnychris, why Jessica Alba? Do you subscribe to the same magazine I do?
posted by njsk8r20 at 04:01 PM on February 13, 2006
There's a whole mob of big wave surfers who are on 'stand by' for when these breaks are working. Surf mags and equipment companies fly them out in order to get some of those incredible images. However if you want to see a scary break where you don't have to be towed in, google 'Teahupoo' and check out the photos. But what you don't see is that at Teahupoo (in Tahiti) there's about 6 inches of water between you and an extremely hard coral reef.