Massive waves on the California coast were expected to reach nearly 50 feet at Mavericks by Saturday morning, drawing big-wave surfers toward a short opening between storms. Bianca Valenti was getting her gear ready at home in San Francisco on Thursday, planning to drive to Mavericks on Saturday morning.
The swell was building in the Pacific Ocean after winds first developed near Japan early in the week. Brian Garcia of the National Weather Service in Monterey, Calif., said, “Imagine a train track laid across the Pacific and it’s pointed straight across the coastline,” and added, “That was the wind pattern days ago. It takes days for the waves to travel cross the Pacific.”
Bianca Valenti and Clément Roseyro
Clément Roseyro got on a plane early Friday morning in Biarritz in southern France with three surfboards. “It’s a big mission to get there on time with all the gear,” he said. Valenti said, “Every serious big-wave surfer or big-wave filmer is trying to rent a Jet Ski right now and find a way to get out there.”
Mavericks sits about a half mile off the coast of Half Moon Bay, Calif., and fires off waves several times a year between November and March. Peter Mel, who has surfed the break, said, “It’s one of the scariest big waves in the world,” while the recent pattern stood out because there were no good days at Mavericks last year and only one really good day the year before that.
National Weather Service
Back-to-back storm systems were giving California its first widespread rain of the season, and widespread weather warnings for flooding and strong winds were in place. One storm was set to move on by Saturday morning before another hits on Sunday, creating the narrow window that made the swell notable.
Experts warned everyday people to stay away from beaches even as big-wave surfers rushed toward Mavericks, where the forecast called for dangerous surf up and down the coast. The open question is whether the waves actually reached Mavericks as predicted on Saturday morning.
