In San Francisco, Critical Mass has become a term synonymous with ignoring red lights,* right?
Now, what if you could critical mass in a flooded town on a Jet Ski?
That’s gotta be the flattest town in all creation. (Alluvial plain?) Don’t try this on Market Street, you know, post-global warming – it’s got slight rises that would ruin your Jet Ski fun.
This video only has 139K views?
It should have more by now, IMO.
*Now, I’ll admit CM treats red lights a bit differently, but, in my book, ignoring red lights = ignoring red lights.
Believe it or not, Mavericks, or at least the waiting period for Mavericks, will start up again in just three short months.
(And guess what, I haven’t seen any self-rightous falderal burbling up from San Mateo County lately – that that can only be a good thing.)
As promised, all the deets, below.
Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz at Opening Ceremonies 2009 – ISI Photos, click to expand
Mavericks Gears Up for the 8th Annual Mavericks Surf Contest®
$150,000 Prize Purse Offered for 2nd Year; Initial Sponsors On Board; Enhancements to Epic Contest to be Unveiled in Coming Months
Half Moon Bay, CA/San Francisco, CA – August 3, 2010 – On the heels of perhaps the greatest big-wave surfing contest in history last February, Mavericks is back and bigger than ever. Preparations are underway for the 8th annual Mavericks Surf Contest® showcasing 24 of the world’s finest big-wave surfers battling for the largest prize purse in big-wave surfing. The 2010/2011 Contest is poised to return to Half Moon Bay, California later this year and will include a number of enhancements to bring Mavericks to an even broader audience, while continuing to honor the spot, the riders, and the local community.
The Contest Is Back. Mavericks Surf Ventures is very proud to make this first announcement laying the groundwork for the 2010/2011 Mavericks Surf Contest®, picking up right where last season left off. The dedicated team has been very busy in the off-season and has just completed a fundraising round that will greatly benefit this year’s event, the riders, the coastside community, and the future of Mavericks and big-wave surfing for years to come. “Our goal is to keep the focus on the soul of the event and respect for the spot, giving the power to the surfers to make ‘the call’ and helping to bring the Mavericks’ ocean phenomenon to a broader global audience,” said Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is going to hold a “critical incident debrief” this morning down in Moss Beach – organizers of the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest have been invited to discuss the 2009-2010 season. The public and the media are specifically not invited. Well, that doesn’t sit well with some down Coastsigh-eeeeede way. Oh well.
“Mavericks Surf Ventures passes the buck to San Mateo County, County Counsel Michael Murphy passes the buck to Harbor District Manager Peter Grenell who passes the buck to Vandenberg Air Force Base who promptly pass the buck to Army Corps of Engineers and then the buck circles back to Mavericks Surf Ventures.”
“We feel for the Rivers family and it was a terrible accident. But we’ve always regarded safety issues with the utmost importance. All managers have taken and will be taking all measures necessary to provide a safe contest for surfers and visitors.”
IMO, the post-injury palliative cliches from 2006 don’t square with the post-injury palliative cliches from 2010.
Our recent 2009-2010 MavericksSurf Contest had the “Biggest Waves Ever Surfed In A Contest,” according to organizer Mavericks Surf Ventures. That’s what they’re claiming today, February 17th, 2010.
“It was an honor just to be here today and paddle out with these other guys. I flew 36 hours to be here, and this has been a dream come true.” – Chris Bertish, 09/10 Champion
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“The entire book of big wave surfing was re-written today.” – Greg Long
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“These were definitely the biggest waves I have ever paddled into.” – Shane Desmond
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“No excuses on a day like today, it was perfect. Whatever you wanted, you could take.” – Anthony Tashnick ———-
“It was undoubtedly the largest surf any paddle-in contest has ever seen.” – Dave Wassel ———-
“There is such a brotherhood in the lineup. These people are my family.” – Carlos Burle
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“Today took big-wave surfing to another notch.” – Gary Linden, Head Judge”
Of course the event was not without controversy. Perhaps MSV will address that at some point?
Having said that, let’s take a look at higher-def footage of the problem, ably shot by KRON VJ (video jockey) Haaziq Madyun. And here’s the reverse angle. And ganderize your eyes on this bird’s-eye view of the scene. If this were the Olympics, this would be the Olympic Village:
So please let’s go easy on any more nagging, patronizing Respect The Ocean talk coming from MSV, considering that MSV and its sponsors appeared to be just as unaware as some of the spectators.
In other words, if this unsecured P.A. loudspeaker ended up killing a fan, all the DANGER: HEAVY SURF signs in all Christendom wouldn’t save your hides from a dead-bang, seven-figure wrongful death lawsuit. (If you think you see a bunch of people people in the water around the speaker in the video, your guess is correct.)
So that is exactly “how on Earth we [MSV] could be responsible for people willfully going to the ocean.”
“The Maverick’s contest organizers probably realize that, in retrospect, it was unwise to put scaffolding and platforms in an exposed area and then allow spectators too close to the high tide line and a seawall along the Pillar Point coastline.”
You see? That’s why the party line of having MSV reps repeatedly bleating about how spectators just need some common sense doesn’t wash.
Now do I think that this fellow (people never seem to let go of their cameras or their beer, huh?) and others who got banged up by the surf on their own will win any possible lawsuits their shysters file? No.
But do I suppose that things could be handled differently by Mavericks Surf Ventures the next go around?
Yes.
(Contrary to what you might have heard, no post mortem meetings with county (or other) authoritahs are scheduled this week. But they’ll be coming soon.)
*Or surge or whatever. It’d be nice to have one descriptive term to cover all these different words…
From the bluff, with people on the rocky seawall getting inundated by the wave:
Those are temporary structures temporarily in the water.
Here’s view from the seawall during the 2005 Contest, looking up at the bluff – nice and dry that year. Click to expand:
UPDATE: Comes now KRON Channel 4 FTW. Their video shows the same wave as the one shown above crashing through the seawall like it was nothing. The beach here has more than its fair share of random boulders, hence the danger:
