Mavericks is not sleeping anymore. The infamous surf break located off the coast of Half Moon Bay in Northern California is already pumping its first big waves of the season.
The first weekend of November 2016 saw a double-to-triple overhead WNW swell hit the shore, and along came the storm surfers.
Grant "Twiggy" Baker, Angelo Lozano, Bianca Valenti, Kealii Mamala, Jamie Mitchell, Kyle Thiermann, Matty Lopez, Matt Rott, Luca Padua, Pat Shaughnessy, Pete Mel, Ken "Skindog" Collins, Jojo Roper, and Manny Resano were some of the students who attended the big wave surfing class at Mavericks.
Mavericks has its moods and punishes its disciples randomly. This time, it made no exceptions. There were breathtaking free-falls, classic wipeouts, and a few broken boards.
Bianca Valenti, one of the leaders of the new female big wave surfing fleet, proved why women should always be considered in any sports environment.
On a couple of occasions, you could spot her taking off deeper than the boys.
Party waves? There were a few, but Mavericks is not a fun surfing park, and you must always proceed with extended caution in a peak that has already claimed human lives.
The Titans of Mavericks is scheduled to run between November 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. For the first time in the history of the contest, women will be surfing in the event.