Mavericks, the annual competition that sees surfers tackling giant swells near Half Moon Bay, California, started and ended Friday, with some of the world's best big-wave surfers coming out and catching the face of 25-foot waves.
Nic Lamb, Zach Wormhoudt, Anthony Tashnick and Tyler Fox were just a few of the Maverick success stories, with each advancing to the Titans of Mavericks semifinals. Lamb, 27, was eventually declared the winner at about 3:15 p.m PST. The 27 year old has been surfing in big-wave competitions since he was a child, and he first tackled Mavericks at the age of 14.
Greg Long with style. pic.twitter.com/WtGJtwOcCX— Titans of Mavericks (@titansofmavs) February 12, 2016
For every success story, however, there's usually a tale of an unfortunate wipeout. This year was no exception.
In the first round, Mavericks vet and Santa Cruz native Kenny Collins struggled with a 35-foot behemoth and had to be pulled from the water by a jet ski. His eardrum ruptured while wrangling with the wave, forcing him to exit the competition.
Mavericks is globally renowned for its treacherous, icy waters and turbulent waves. The one-day, invitation-only competition has historically been open only to men, but women have been pushing to get a spot in the coveted lineup for some time. After the California Coastal Commission put pressure on organizers last year to hold a women's only heat, many thought that 2016 would be the first inclusive year for the competition.
PHOTO: Santa Cruz's Nic Lamb surfs a giant wave on his way to winning Mavericks surf contest https://t.co/YZ8irkesGG pic.twitter.com/cVAIWMIy2E— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) February 13, 2016
"They are utilizing a public resource and we are giving them permission," Commissioner Mark Vargas told the Associated Press in December. "If they are going to use that public resource, then there ought to be some sort of consideration for equal opportunity or at least transparency for their selection process to ensure there is no discrimination."
However, no women made it onto this year's lineup.
Organizers replied that there just wasn't time to have an additional heat, and that women typically weren't at the level a competition that Mavericks required.
Many female surfers, however, have called that argument bogus.
"I think that’s total B.S.,” said Paige Alms, a big-wave surfer in Maui, in an interview with KQED. "Give us a heat and let us show you."