Customer Reviews

Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing

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4 star:		(1)
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Surfing has deserved this book for a long time, and it took the sport's prime archivist, Matt Warshaw, to deliver the goods. Warshaw does a masterful job of melding big-wave surfing's glory days on Oahu's North Shore with the present-day scene that has Half Moon Bay, California, as its ground-zero. The photo mix, primarily color, is inspired with fresh,unexpected camera angles augmenting the standard thirty-foot wave face 'frontal' approach. The grainy black and white shots, in particular,lend a misty, moody quality that reflects Maverick's cold and outright spooky atmosphere. Seasoned surfers will be reminded of why they first picked-up a board, and general readers will get a front-row look at one of sports' greatest spectacles courtesy of one its finest writers.

This book captures the unique world of big wave surfing better than any I've ever read. It's really cool the way it goes back and forth between the relatively recent discovery of Maverick's and the general history of big wave surfing over the last 50 or so years. The research that must have gone into portraying the various characters that make up the strange world of big wave riding is really impressive. It's got some really great photos too, although not just the typical big wave wipe-out shots. It's good looking enough to sit on your coffee table, but unlike most coffee table books, its full of great writing.

This is a fascinating look at the history and sport of big-wave surfing, focusing primarily on Maverick's but also discussing some of the other big-wave spots in the world, such as Todos Santos and Cortes Banks. If you have fond memories of the classic travel and surf-bum movie from the 60s, "The Longest Summer," about great surf spots around the world, you'll probably enjoy this book.

My review concentrates mainly on the dangers, since I was interested in researching that, but overall it's a beautifully illustrated and well-written account of the sport. The author starts with the early history back in the mid-1850s (when a legend has it that a Hawaiian was supposed to have ridden a tsunami back to shore).

I was interested because I used to live for many years near Maverick's, one of the premier big-wave surfing spots in the world, and I was curious what it had to say. I've never been a board-surfer myself, but grew up in southern Cal and did a lot of body surfing when I was younger. One time, I foolishly tried to body-surf a storm-driven 18-footer at Gillis Beach in southern California and got ground into the bottom and held down long enough so I thought I might not get back up to the surface in time. But I survived, and am now older and wiser.

I've had a few other misadventures, such as having been pulled out by a couple of riptides (including one that pulled me underneath the water briefly), so I've always had respect for the ocean, and I figured big-wave riding must surely be even more dangerous. Photos of lone surfers dwarfed by enormous waves have always amazed me and sent shivers up my spine, as I remembered my own scary encounter with a wave. Oddly enough, the author goes to some pains to dispell that notion by recounting various statistics and many anecdotal stories about the sport.

For example, although it's possible for a big-wave to hold a surfer underwater long enough to drown, this is very rare. More likely is for a surfer at the more crowded small-wave sites to get knocked unconscious by someone else's board who wiped out and to drown that way. Or there's the possibility of an unsupervised and inexperienced surfer drifting into a strong riptide. And as the author says, "No big wave surfer ever tested the odds as boldly as the untrained, pot-bellied, beer-staggered, citizen body-surfer."

Mark Renneker, a UCSF physician and avid big-wave surfer, gathered data and compiled statistics on injuries and concluded that cheerleaders were injured more often than big-wave surfers.

Peter van Dyke, another big-wave fan, had some other comments, pointing out that in one recent year, a half dozen Grand Prix racers were killed but not one surfer, and many more bull-fighters were killed. He said that big-wave surfers were so unconcerned about their fitness that they trained on "cake, Kool-Aid, ice cream, and cigarettes." He also pointed out that the last surfer to die at Waimea was Dickie Cross back in 1943. By 1994, no-one had yet died at Maverick's (although that would soon change with Mark Foo's death).

The book also contains a full chapter going into the events preceding and following Mark Foo's death. One of the things that becomes apparent there is that surfers aren't so much killed by the waves as by occasionally getting their ankle straps caught in underwater reefs so that they can't surface. Although no-one to this day knows what killed Mark Foo, it's possible this was part of it, and one of the other surfers had the same thing happen that very day, although he was able to get free just as he was running out of air and get to the surface.

Still, because of the perceived dangers, out of 5 million surfers world-wide, only about 100 are regular big-wave riders.

But as I said, the book also contains a more general discussion and history of the sport from the early days to the present, using Maverick's as its point of departure. There are many spectacular photos, including a fantastic two-page spread of Mike Parsons riding what's thought to be the largest wave ever ridden at Cortes Banks, an open ocean reef 100 miles to the west of San Diego.

By the way, I agree with the previous reviewer about possible huge waves up in Alaska. In fact, in Puget Sound they sometimes get 60-foot waves, and they can get 20 or 30 foot waves at the mouth of the Columbia river in Oregon, where the Coast Guard trains captains in the heavy surf handling of boats. Also, off the tip of South Africa there is an area where, because of the way the ocean currents travel up from Antartica combined with a sea floor that funnels the wave energy, it's thought that 100-foot waves can occur. (In fact, it's one of the few places in the world where large ships occasionally disappear, and it's suspected huge "rogue waves" may be responsible). There was also the finding of the underwater quake that caused a tsunami to go 2000 feet up the mountainside at an uninhabited bay up the west coast of Alaska. No-one saw it but the devastation was so dramatic it wasn't hard to figure out the cause when it was discovered later.

The largest wave ever recorded (at least by a reliable observer) was by the USS Ramapo back in the early 1930s. The ship was about 120 feet long and completely fit on the side of an enormous sea wave that passed under it in the mid-Pacific, and was estimated to be 134 feet high. Now that's a wave any surfer could envy.

A very well written and produced coffee-table quality book on Nor Cal's most hyped big wave break. Rest assured that Matt Warshaw speaks from the heart when he describes the history, the characters, the swells and the waves that have converged at that awe-inspiring break outside Pillar Point. Mr. Warshaw is perhaps the greatest surf historian of all time, and before you question that statement, just wait for his upcoming release 'The Encyclopaedia of Surfing' to make the call.

This is mostly pre-tow era Mav's, and so naturally is already quite out-dated. But looking through the viewpoint of paddle-in only is still interesting for its historic relevance, and out-right machismo.

As impressive as this book is, I hesitate to give it five stars because, while it does capture many historic moments at Mav's, it is without the newer paradigms of Mav's. Warshaw did an excellent job chronicling an era of Mav's. But now, on many days thanks to tow-in, people are surfing the place quite different than what we see in this book. The Year of the Drag-In changed everything, and so did Nov. 20-21, 2001. I'd be delighted to see Matt do a follow-up.

Big wave surfers and Mark Sponsler take note. One of the reasons the Thanksgiving swell of 2001 was so huge was because the storm which produced it came quite close to California and covered a large swath of area with multivalent storm phenomena twisting within it- such storms are not uncommon far up in the Gulf of Alaska, or forming off of Russia and jumping over the Aleutians, tearing through the Bearing Sea. While the 100 foot wave may come to Maverick's once a year, or perhaps only once every few years or decade, it must be noted that in Alaska and especially the Aleutian Islands, these closer-range, huge and more direct storms and swells are a COMMON yearly occurence. Why do so many fishing boats disappear up there? Why do so many of the Aleutian Islands have surf erosion extending 300 feet up their lichen-green facades? Because the surf there gets truly epoch-making giant on a consistent basis! And many of the islands have plenty of lowlands, points, reefs, and bay entrances for serious big-wave set-up potential (Just ask Doc Renneker or Jeff Clark). Factors against the region are many: difficult access, colder temps and outright hazardous seas even for boats. But the scenario can also be mind blowing perfect- giant surf with offshore winds and rideable set-ups. The Aleutains are America's (and the surfing world's) forgotten isles. I know the Mav's crew has their hands full at Half Moon Bay, but if they ever get the growl for adventure to seek another 100 foot wave, I highly recommend looking more seriously at the Aleutains- our own Aleut Hawaii. With the right equipment and arranged lodgings, and with both air and overland transportation (all of this is really not a problem for some islands and areas), and with a few weeks to a month window, perhaps in October and November, I do believe multiple Mavericks await beyond the 50th parellel! But for now, hats off to Matt Warshaw, Daniel Duane, and the whole Mav's crew! You remake surfing history on a yearly basis! Be sure to visit me on the Rat Islands! You can stay in my sink hole!

Matt gets the essence of Mavericks right in this one. He paints an accurate picture in words and photos of the Californian big wave spot and and the watermen who have come since the beginning to test their courage in its extreme conditions. His book vividly describes the personalities and the necessary 'go for it' attitude needed to survive in these dangerous situations. The book also contains many facets about big-wave surfing from other areas and this adds another excellent dimension to the tale. I enjoyed the book immensely and once started I read it from cover to cover.

Not just a nice coffee table book, but also a great story about big waves and big wave surfers. Some of the shots are absolutely spectacular. And what would a book on big waves be without a chapter on Greg Noll - what a character.

This is a very fine book for anyone who is intrigued with the sport of surfing. Our friend, Frank, an avid surfer from Berkeley, read the book in one read after spotting it on Betsy's desk. I think he put it best when he commented " This is the best thing to being there! Well, sort of. But good. Whoa. "

Growing up in Montara just a few minutes north of Mavericks, no one I knew even talked about surfing there. The surfers from the coast surfed the Jetty, and the stronger surfers went to Montara. There were many places around that one could surf, but no one considered Mavericks a surf mecca. No one mentioned it's name.

Seeing is believing. If you have NEVER seen big wave surfing except in pictures you are missing out!...

Enjoy the book. It is a great piece of history about the location and surfing in general!

Look for DVD's and Videos of Mavericks at [their website], taken by locals Eric and Kurt at Powerline Productions.

Once a year in northern California a swell of waves appear, large enough to crush a town, that can only be described as terrifying. This once hidden surf spot is known to the surf world today as Maverick's. The story begins by telling about surfing's roots in Hawaii and the long, flat pieces of redwood they used to surf on. In 1969 Greg Noll, a highly respected surfer, caught a thirty-foot wave at Todos Santos, an island off of California. Todos santos was thought to be a America's last word in surfing until Maverick's was discovered. The book focuses on the five most dangerous days in Maverick's history. On the first day, the celebrated surfer Mark Foo was killed on a wave that crashed too soon. The wave sent him into a bottomless pit of white-water, where he drownd. A memorial service was held to honor his life. After the surf world discovered Maverick's the first competition was held there entitled The Men Who Ride Mountains. Darryl Virostki won the event after a huge cutback and an arial off a fifteen-foot wave. Maverick's today remains won of the biggest names in big-wave surfing. I recommend this book to all surfers.

The supplier sent this to me in less time than was advertised, and the book though used looked brand new.