(01-24) 09:47 PST HALF MOON BAY -- Thousands of people descended on the San Mateo County coast Friday for the so-called Super Bowl of Surfing - the Mavericks Invitational, which began after 8 a.m. off Pillar Point with 24 surfers taking on big and punishing waves.
The faces of some of the waves appeared to be well over 40 feet, leading to both high-scoring rides and epic wipeouts.
"I wanted to come down and watch these guys surf waves that I'm not brave enough to try," said Daniel Garland, a San Francisco resident and surfer.
Garland was at the Oceano Hotel & Spa at Harbor Village in Half Moon Bay, south of the Mavericks surf break. He was part of a big group of fans that paid $15 each to fill the parking lot, setting up chairs and blankets and watching footage of the contest on jumbo screens.
The place had a festival-like atmosphere, with food trucks, sponsor tents and beer gardens opening at 9 a.m.
In the past, fans would flock to the beach at Pillar Point to try to see the action, which takes place a half-mile off shore and is virtually impossible to view from most vantage points. But beach access was shut down after the 2010 contest, when 13 spectators were hurt by large wave that crashed over a jetty and rocks.
This year's contest is the ninth held at Mavericks since competitions began in 1999. During several years, the desired conditions for the event didn't materialize.
The event is being aired live on Universal Sports Network, though most in the Bay Area don't get that channel. Fans can also watch a live Internet stream at mavericksinvitational.com.
Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
No comments:
Post a Comment