surf travel 91

ommend it unless you're following a NorCal Sherpa who's done the rock dance 1,000 times. The entry is on the north side of the break, and you have to brave a minefield of submerged rocks and a horrendous shorebreak before it's smooth sailing out to the peak. Many an experienced big-wave rider has been denied attempting this entrance, and the last thing you want to do is lose a fin on your $700 rhino chaser before you even make it through the shorebreak.

The risk level evens out once you make it to the lineup: no matter where you take off, you're rolling the dice. The hot spots on the Maverick's playing field are as follows:

OUTER BOWL
On the biggest of days (20 feet at 20 seconds and beyond on the Half Moon Bay buoy), there's a takeoff spot about 100 yards out beyond Maverick's proper. Few waves have been caught here, but all of them have been memorable. Richard Schmidt's disaster wave in 1992 was a Second Reef bomb and just about every wave ridden on October 28, 1999, started in this zone (albeit with the help of a Jet Ski). Unless you plan on being the first paddle-in surfer to conquer Jaws, it's not recommended that you attempt Maverick's when this section's cracking.

THE CORNER
The best surfers at Maverick's know the Corner like the back of their guns. This is the peak on the extreme north end of the break that, if you time it right and choose the right one, allows you to get into the wave and down the face before you become another wipeout statistic. Maverick's pioneer Jeff Clark went left (a shorter, intense wave with a psycho drop and a quick shoulder) off this spot for years, and few have followed his lead since then. Sin
ce it's the deepest point you can take off from for the rights, it's often regarded as the triple diamond takeoff zone. Watch masters like Peter Mel, Flea Virostko and Ken "Skindog" Collins surf the place, though, and you'll see that the correctly chosen wave from the Corner is actually an easier takeoff than launching into it farther down the line. Note the emphasis on the words, "correctly chosen." Pick a bad one at the Corner and you'll follow Jay Moriarity and a host of others into Horrendous Wipeout infamy.

LATES BOWL
While the wolf pack scrambles for the choice cuts at the corner, the Lates Bowl is an overflow section on the south end that occasionally serves up the rogue monster. When a big set shifts wide of the Corner, it usually breaks on Lates Bowl. The drop tends to be a little easier and the wave a bit fatter, but we're still talking about Maverick's: it's no bunny slope.

THE CAULDRON
Just inside the Corner, there's a wicked set of boils that you want to avoid at all costs. This is the focal point for the majority of Maverick's wrath and is the spot where you'll be experiencing your two-wave hold-down if you choose unwisely. Strange phenomena --whirlpools, undertows that suck you into the abyss, etc. -- have been known to take place at the cauldron. Proceed with caution.

In 10 short years, Maverick's has risen to the forefront on the big-wave-riding frontier, and there's now a Quiksilver event at the spot that allows the world's best hellmen to charge the bowl for a $30,000 first-place bounty. But unlike Maverick's overnight notoriety, don't think that your path to big-wave glory can be as immediate: Maverick's should not even be attempted unless you've logged some serious hours at Waimea or Todos Santos. Then, and only then, are you worthy of gracing Maverick's with your presence.
-- Ben Marcus Best Tide:
Maverick's can handle all tides, but as for most of the spots along here, low and incoming to medium are best.
Best Swell Direction:
W is bowly, but dangerous and pushes into the rocks. NW is lined up and safer.
Best Size:
triple-overhead to 80 foot faces before it closes out
Best Wind:
E, but not too strong. Some guys like a slight onshore.
Perfect-O-Meter:
10 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:
You don't want to know
Ability Level:
Nothing short of Flea, Laird, or Neptune
Bring Your:
Paddling muscles. Favorite 10-foot pintail. Personal PWC lifeguard. Oh, and some balls.
Best Season:
winter, fall, spring
Access:
Parking in the lot, maybe, if you're lucky. Also, Wave Runners out of Pillar Point Harbor.
Crowd Factor:
It's getting crowded out there, but there are a lot of lookie-loos. Real takers are the minority.
Local Vibe:
It exists. Do something stupid and you'll hear about it.
Bicep Burn:
10, maximum (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:
1. Only inside your wetsuit. (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Hazards:
death by drowning, sharks, run over by a whale, run over by a PWC, a trip through the rocks, hypothermia, broken boards, ego deflation.