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Dissecting the Dream: An Inside Look at the Best Six Weeks in Maverick’s History
When the North Pacific went into overdrive Mav’s led the charge
Photo: Billy Watts
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The problem with a couple months straight of North Pacific swell overdrive is just that so many crazy sessions, epic stories, unforgettable waves, bad wipeouts, enraged partners, confused bosses…the whole thing becomes kind of a crazed blur. One, oversized lump of collective surf memory. Which is why pulling one strand out of the narrative in this case, almost two months of very good to epic Maverick’s can help frame the whole event and give it context in the broader scope of the surfing universe.
Day of the Decade? A Comparative Look at Three XXL Maverick s Swells
Here s where December 8th, 2020 lands, from the numbers
December 8th, 2020. Photo: Jeremiah Klein
Kevin Wallis
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There have been a lot of superlatives thrown at the session that went down at Maverick’s two weeks ago: Best Ever, Day of Days, All Time, etc. While it wasn’t the biggest swell at Mav’s by any means, it was amongst the largest paddle swells we’ve seen in the past decade with absolutely pristine conditions. This most recent swell was big enough to get the Maverick’s Outer Bowl working which starts to break when wave faces reach roughly 45-50 feet and guys like Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, Pete Mel, and Kai Lenny sat out the back to chip in on those glassy monsters before screaming through the normal takeoff spot.
Local s Perspective On Day of Days at Maverick’s
Catching up with longtime NorCal Mav s vets about Tuesday, December 8th
HMB local Luca Padua, December 8th. Photo: Kenan Chan
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By August Howell
As we extensively reported (see links above), Maverick’s saw its best day in recent memory last Tuesday. Consistent 40-foot faces greeted some of the world’s best surfers from sunup to sundown. And while the swell on December 8th peaked to a burly 17 feet @ 19 seconds, the wind stayed mellow all day, allowing for some truly jaw-dropping surfing to take place.
As Maverick’s pioneer Jeff Clark put it: “It’s the biggest, most consistent, powerful swell we’ve had since 2010.”
Late Drop The Big Wave Podcast: Jamie Mitchell Hosts Frank Quirarte
The vet that just can’t keep out of the danger zone…
Presented By
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Welcome to Episode Six of Season Two of Late Drop – The Big Wave podcast. The series was created to showcase conversations with some of the best big-wave surfers in the world hosted by one of the best big-wave surfers in the world. New episodes will drop on Surfline every other week upcoming guests include, Bob Pearson, Buzzy Kerbox and others. Stay tuned here for more.
Speakin’ of Mav’s….Why not drop an episode of Jamie Mitchell (who recently charged the run of XXL swell to hit Maverick’s) with one of the OG water patrol and photographers to document Cali’s finest big-wave arena? Enter: Frank Quirarte, a man whose byline you’ve probably seen on the best photos of Mav’s for the past 30-odd years. What many may not know of the man is his influence and loyalty to keeping the boys and girls safe out