Mavericks surfers from around the globe come to chase epic waves

That size of the waves drew surfers from around the globe to the Bay Area, with KGO-TV reporting that locals met people from Portugal, Brazil, Tahiti and Hawaii on Thursday. The television station also said an HBO film crew was on site, shooting a documentary.

The name “Mavericks” comes from the beach where surfers head into the water, but it has since become synonymous with both the surfing activity there and the competition that was held for years. The name recognition of the surf spot perhaps peaked with the 2012 movie “Chasing Mavericks.”

But hosting the competition at the location was a difficult ordeal, as the event could only be held when the waves were large enough. Only 10 invitationals were held from 1999 to 2016. And after three years without big enough waves, the World Surf League canceled the event permanently in 2019. There is still hope to restart an event built around the surf at Mavericks, including from the website Mavericks Invitational.

Whether it’s a formal event or not, though, the big waves still crest coastside when the weather is right. And clearly, surfers from around the world are happy to head on down to Half Moon Bay and try to ride the giant waves.