MAVERICKS WAS GREAT!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Mavericks Invitational 2012-2013 Winner:
Peter Mel from Santa Cruz, CA
The 43 year old says he's been surfing
Mavericks for 25 years and has been participating in every event since it began in 1999, but this is his first win.
The other finalists:
Zach Wormhoudt (Santa Cruz, CA)
Greg Long (San Clemente, CA)
Mark Healey (North Shore, Hawaii)
Alex Martins (Brazil)
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA)
Prize Money: $12,000 to the winner, $8,000 for second, grading down to $1,500 for the sixth and final place in the finals. The 18 competitors who do not reach the finals will each earn $1,000. Total prize money offered: $50,000.
Mel and the other finalists all pooled the purse and divided it six ways.
It was a spectacular day, warm sunny skies, no wind, and while the waves were not
the biggest in Mavericks history, they were smooth as glass.
The waves topped at about 20 feet but the swells provided good vertical drops.
Tickets at the door for the festival were sold out by 8:30am. The longest line
was getting into the venue through security. The line at one point stretched
for two blocks...by 11am, some were still waiting to get in.
Three of the top big-wave surfers in the world, including 11-time pro tour champion Kelly Slater,
had to withdrew from the event.
Shane Dorian and Carlos Burle both withdrew due to shoulder injuries.
Stepping up to replace them were alternates Tyler Fox and Josh Loya, both longtime Mavericks veterans from Santa Cruz, and
up-and-coming Pacifica surfer Colin Dwyer.
Excellent photos of the surfers may be found here:
http://photos.mercurynews.com/2013/01/20/mavericks-invitational-surf-contest-at-princeton-by-the-sea/#1---------------------------------------
Future Mavericks Information:
One of the most exciting annual events for those staying at Pillar Point RV Park is the Mavericks Invitational Surf Contest. Here's the great news...
If you're staying at Pillar Point RV Park, the event is easy walking distance!
Three blocks on a paved path and you're there!
Twenty-four surfers have been given notice to arrive at Maverick's Beach to compete on some of the world's biggest waves. While the elusive waves did not appear last year, the monitored swells are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
Roads to the lookout and cliffs where surf fans have watched in previous years, will be closed this year for safety reasons. However, there will be a festival on the grounds of the Oceano Hotel & Spa at Harbor Village. Jumbotron screens will show the action out in the ocean along with commentary and a chance to meet the surfers after their runs. You can also purchase a spot on a boat for a better view.
The Mavericks Festival starts at 8 a.m. just as the first heat of the contest starts, and wraps up at sunset.
Ticket Prices:
General Admission tickets are $10
Kids under 5 are free
Parking: $15
Parking is at Half Moon Bay Airport.
Again, the great news is if you're staying at Pillar Point RV Park, the event is easy walking distance! Three blocks on a paved path and you're there!
Prices do range all the way to $1,000 for varying levels of participation seats on the boats and access to the surfers. You can get more information about the varying perks that go with each ticket here:
http://mavericksinvitational.com/2013 Maverick's contest invitees:
Matt Ambrose (Pacifica, CA)
Ryan Augenstein (Santa Cruz, CA)
Grant "Twiggy" Baker (South Africa)
Chris Bertish (South Africa)
Carlos Burle (Brazil)
Ken "Skindog" Collins (Santa Cruz, CA)
Shane Desmond (Santa Cruz, CA)
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA)
Shane Dorian (Hawaii)
Nathan Fletcher (San Clemente, CA)
Mark Healey (Hawaii)
Rusty Long (San Clemente, CA)
Alex Martins (Brazil)
Peter Mel (Santa Cruz, CA)
Ryan Seelbach (San Francisco, CA)
Kelly Slater (Florida)
Tyler Smith (Santa Cruz, CA)
Jamie Sterling (Hawaii)
Anthony Tashnick (Santa Cruz, CA)
Grant Washburn (San Francisco, CA)
Dave Wassel (Hawaii)
Ben Wilkinson (Australia)
More general information:
How do I find out when the competition will take place? According to the official website, Powerlines Productions, Drop In Media, and Mavericks International have partnered together to offer the surfing community special access to breaking news updates from the Mavericks Invitational Big Wave Surf Contest.
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Subscribers to the service will be the first to know when the 24-hour call goes out for the Mavericks Invitational Contest to begin. News alerts will be delivered to subscribers’ cellular phone in-boxes, with multimedia updates sent whenever competition news breaks.
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This exclusive service will also provide international surf news, complete with high-resolution images and exclusive stories unavailable through other outlets.
The service will be provided free of charge. Visit http://mavericksinvitational.com , or text MAVS to 50501, to subscribe.
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