This story is part of our March 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.

When it comes to big waves, there’s nothing in the continental U.S. that compares to Mavericks surf break, and it’s only about a two-hour drive from Sacramento.

While the Mavericks’ acclaimed surf contest might be on indefinite hold, with the last official event held 10 years ago, that doesn’t mean the majestic and sometimes deadly waves just beyond Pillar Point Harbor — or the surfers who ride them — have gone away.

“What drives you to Mavericks is the feeling that I first experienced back when I was 16, surfing Waimea — the feeling of that ultimate connection with the ocean,” says Luke Kaminskas, 22, a native of Hawaii who is in his senior year at UC Santa Barbara. Kaminskas has surfed Mavericks a handful of times, including Nov. 6 last year, when he connected with friends Jonathan and Maarit Visbal, who were on the same charter boat as I was that day.

The window for Mavericks’ biggest waves is November through March. When the super swells hit, surfers from all over the world descend upon the nearby town of Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

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I’m not a surfer, but after I got hooked on photographing the California surfing scene, I wondered what it would take to capture California’s biggest surf prize. At Mavericks, the waves can hit 75 feet but are about a half-mile offshore. In 2015, when the now-retired contest was still in full swing, my search led to the Half Moon Bay Sportfishing & Tackle charter boat company at Princeton-by-the-Sea’s Pillar Point Harbor. The company’s website promoted trips to view Mavericks, detailing when the big waves were coming and when a boat was scheduled.

Mavericks wasn’t really surfed by anybody until three friends, Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson, and Dick Notmeyer, discovered it in early 1967. Its name was credited to Matienzo’s dog Maverick, who accompanied the trio.

But it remained mostly unsurfable until local high schooler Jeff Clark began going it alone in 1975. Clark urged others to join him in the 1990s, when photos and films about the spot started to regularly appear.

That interest led to the first contest on Feb. 17, 1998. Called the Men Who Ride Mountains Contest, it successfully went off in just 15-foot surf after a foggy morning. The 2012 drama film “Chasing Mavericks,” which portrayed surfer Jay Moriarity, further cemented its popularity.

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Meanwhile, the contest didn’t occur every year unless the right conditions materialized, yet it carried on under several different names and owners. The 10th and final contest, run by the World Surf League, was on Feb. 12, 2016, a victim of its own unpredictable conditions and lack of sponsors.

My first outing to Mavericks was in November 2015, and it’s been an up-and-down, but exhilarating, ride since then. I’ve taken four successful boat trips out, including that last contest in 2016, and another three that were cancelled because of safety conditions.

No doubt, the best way to view Mavericks is up close from a boat, with the aforementioned HMB charter being the only company that publicizes trips, usually costing $150 to $250 per person. Other smaller fishing boats located in the harbor, such as Mooch Better Fishing, will take you out on request, charging $600 to $1,000 per boat depending on trip length.

Even when the legendary waves — fueled by a series of rocks and submerged reefs — aren’t the height of a four-story building, visitors to the beautiful Half Moon Bay area can still enjoy a quaint downtown about a mile inland, a throwback harbor scene filled with restaurants, bars and the historic Mavericks Surf Company, founded by Clark. In addition, the town’s hiking trails and famed Ritz-Carlton offer some of the best panoramic views of Northern California’s seaside bluffs.

If you want to try catching a glimpse of Mavericks’ big waves without getting into a boat, the cliffside surrounding the closed-off Pillar Point Air Force Station can offer a free yet spectacular vantage of the breaks and the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. There are also several hiking options to get there, such as the Jean Lauer Trail.

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At Pillar Point (aka Mavericks) Beach, you might catch surfers or kayakers paddling out, while getting unique, albeit distant, views of Mavericks. Park at the Pillar Point Beach lot, then walk a half-mile along the harbor beach (sometimes alongside surfers with their boards). If the tide isn’t too high on the ocean side, you might see surfers being towed or paddling in. Spectators can also climb an overlooking cliff to get a better view, but be careful: It can be slippery and dangerous.

It’s still wild to think that one of the most iconic surf locations in the world is in our backyard, making it a definite bucket-list trip to see, no matter the conditions.

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