Maverick's and other Big Wave Contests... FYI

[SFKneelo]

Looks like the event will run from 8AM - 3PM


MAVERICKS SURF CONTENT IS ON FOR SATURDAY

(01-10) 14:08 PST HALF MOON BAY - Many of the world's best and bravest surfers are heading toward Half Moon Bay as organizers of the legendary Maverick's Surf Contest have scheduled the big-wave event for Saturday.

Surfers were given the word this morning, said brothers and surf partners Tyler and Russell Smith of Santa Cruz.

Organizers have been waiting for high-quality conditions - huge waves coupled with clear weather on the San Mateo County coast - since the contest window opened Dec. 7. Last year, a dearth of surf scuttled the event.

The contest, with a $75,000 prize pool, will be held Saturday morning off Pillar Point, with 24 surfers paddling into waves in a series of heats that will determine the winner. This will be the sixth time the contest has been held since 1999.

The timing of the event on a weekend may draw record crowds, but organizers have provided other ways for people to watch the show.

The surf break is more than a half-mile from the beach, so spectators may be in better position in front of computer screens, watching a free live Webcast, or by seeing the event shown on the big screen at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Admission to that is $20. More details are available at the contest's Web site, www.maverickssurf.com.

Many of the surfers invited to compete in Maverick's canceled plans to surf this weekend in a tow-in contest at Nelscott Reef in Lincoln City, Ore.

The Smith brothers spent Wednesday night in a hotel in Yreka (Siskiyou County) waiting to hear whether Maverick's would be held. Today, they were driving back in Russell Smith's Toyota Tundra.

"I'm kind of tripping out a little bit; I'm a little bummed," Russell Smith said of the aborted Oregon trip. "But for Maverick's I'll turn around no matter where I am."

[surfhorn]

Pete Mel and Ryan Augustein were on their way to the Nelscott contest but spent last night in a motel northern California waiting for Jeff to make the call on Maverick's. Jeff did and Pete made a 180 degree turn.

I drove up from Santa Monica last nite and passed a tow team between Paso Robles and King City. Wonder how far they got towards Oregon?