Maverick’s is a wave unlike any other. It’s cold and deep and dark and terrifying and beautiful. Its history is a story better than nearly any other in surfing–Jeff Clark’s early days there have become surfing legend. Although the story is usually told that Clark kept the wave secret for 15 years, he actually tried to get a few friends to surf it with him. There was no one crazy enough to try, though, and for more than a decade, Clark surfed it alone.
That all changed on January 22, 1990. Led by Clark, David Schmidt and Tom Powers tracked a massive swell to Pillar Point, and after that session, the word got out. Schmidt and Powers had scored the biggest and best waves of their life, and California suddenly gained its own version of Waimea Bay. It wasn’t long before the cliffs were lined with spectators and the channel was full of photographers. By 1992, it landed the cover of Surfer, and the surf world went nuts. Maverick’s had begun its ascent to where it is today.
Now, of course, Maverick’s is world-renowned. And with winter waking up from her summer hibernation and stretching her swell-producing shoulders, things are ramping up. Here’s a taste from Jon Aspuru, a Basque filmmaker.
See more from Aspuru on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.
