California·United States
Photo: Jacobovs · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mavericks breaks over a rocky reef off Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay, where winter swells from the North Pacific produce huge, cold and dangerous waves. It is a proving ground for the best big-wave surfers in the world, and on a big day the bluff above the harbour fills with spectators.
In season: Nov–Mar · Peak: Dec–Feb
For almost everyone this is a spectator adventure: watching from the Pillar Point bluff or on a boat charter from the harbour. Surfing the peak needs elite big-wave skills, safety teams and cold-water gear.
The bluff view on a big swell, for everyone else
Waves up to twenty metres over a shallow reef, tow and paddle
Watch the swell forecasts in winter and head to Pillar Point on a big day, or join a boat charter from Pillar Point Harbor. Surfers without big-wave experience should stick to gentler breaks nearby.
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