The Titans of Mavericks big wave surf contest is finally getting its chance to shine.
On Friday, the storied contest will be held for the first time under its new name, organizers announced Tuesday morning on the event’s Facebook page.
Several large swells have passed through the break near Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay without a contest since the waiting period opened in November, often because they coincided with blackout dates imposed by the Air Force or because they weren’t clean enough to be contestable. But this weekend calls for 25- to 35- foot, mostly clean faces and sunny skies, according to Kevin Wallis, the lead forecaster for Surfline.com
“It’s a good swell, but it’s not going to be a giant swell for Maverick’s,” Wallis said.
The swell comes from the same storm that convinced organizers of Hawaii’s Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau contest to hold that event Wednesday. However, Wallis said the storm will fizzle out shortly after it hits the islands, which will likely keep the waves from hitting the 50-plus-foot benchmark of some of the largest contests.
Seven surfers from the Santa Cruz area are among the 24 invitees and two more are alternates. The invitees include Zach Wormhoudt, one of only two surfers to have been invited to all the contests since they began in 1998, as well as Tyler Fox, Nic Lamb, Ken “Skindog” Collins, Shane Desmond, Ryan Augenstein and Anthony Tashnick. Siblings Patrick Shaughnessy (fifth alternate) and Savannah Shaughnessy (seventh) are the alternates.
According to the “Money Clock” on the Titans of Mavericks website, the surfers will be competing for a $120,000 purse.
