I grew up no more than a 45-minutes south of Maverick’s. When I started driving, not once did I get an itch to grab my board, jump in my car, and go surf the place. And I’m positive I’m not the only Bay Area native surfer who’s taken a lifelong pass on Northern California’s heaviest wave.
Natxo Gonzalez, Indar Unanue, Axi Muniain, Adrian Fernandez de Valderrama, and Antonio Rentería, however, are a group of Basque surfers who put us to shame when this past winter kicked off. The crew traveled a half a world away just to surf the in Half Moon Bay for the first time, coincidentally arriving with the first monster swell of the 2016/2017 winter season.
Add it to the list of slo-mo big wave edits at first glance. Late take offs. Wipeouts that make you cringe. Superheroes racing for the shoulder. And there are some cameos from familiar Mavs A-listers. But soak in the story behind the Basque crew’s effort just to get there, the fact that they’re all experiencing it for the first time, and stick through (4:15) for one of the coolest behind the scenes style looks at Renteria’s first wave ever at Maverick’s. The hoots and the screams will help you appreciate it all on a whole new level.
