Maverick’s Every year, 24 surfers from around the world wait to hear that the Maverick’s surf contest is on. What makes the contest special is the 15m waves that roar down to Northern California from the Gulf of Alaska to give professional surfers the ride of their life. The surf area, consistently known to be one of the most dangerous in the world, exists due to very specific sea-floor topography, or bathymetry. A long “ramp” of decreasing depth leads up to the area where the big waves break, just North of Half Moon Bay, California. Wave energy through the deeper areas on either side of this “ramp” then collapse into a very small, shallow area, creating the enormous waves that occur at Maverick’s. The wave energy that converges on the area is coupled with a very shallow reef and only scarce breaks in waves, creating very dangerous conditions for surfers and boaters alike. Bathymetry is one factor that contributes to wave breaks along coastlines around the world. Additionally, wind velocity also contributes to wave motion, so Maverick's surf contest occurs in the winter months in California. For the 2015 surf season, the Maverick’s contest will occur between now and March 31st, and competitors will have as few as 24 hours’ notice in which to find their way to California from around the world to compete. Maverick’s is one of many “big wave” areas in the surf world, each with different topographical and geographical distinctions that create their big wave qualities. These areas, though fascinating and beautiful, are quite dangerous, and are best experienced from a place of safety. -BN Photo Credit: Shalom Jacobovitz, via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010_mavericks_competition.jpg Further Resources: http://titansofmavericks.com/event/ http://mavericksinvitational.com/ http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/mechanics-of-mavericks_62313/ http://coastguard-deepwater.blogspot.com/2012/01/waves-approach-to-mavericks-and.html