Framework

Capturing the world through photography, video and multimedia

Spectators cheer on Nathan Fletcher, left, and Rusty Long as they compete during a semifinal heat at the Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press

Peter Mel competes during the first heat of the Mavericks Invitational surf competition in Half Moon Bay.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Ken "Skindog" Collins watches Rusty Long lose footing during Round 1.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Karl Mondon / Contra Costa Times

Ken "Skindog" Collins catches a ride.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Alex Martins has a wave all to himself.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Peter Mel competes during the first heat. Mel won the competition.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Zach Wormhoudt stays ahead of the break.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press

Rusty Long competes during Heat 1.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

More galleries on Framework

return to gallery

Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest

Pictures in the News | June 15, 2012

In Friday's Pictures in the News, Egyptians gather to protest in Tahir Square after Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Islamist-led parliament must be...   View Post»

   

Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest

Towering sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

The International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin, in China's northern Heilongjiang province, is set to open Thursday. The annual three-month-long festival attracts...   View Post»

   

The Illumination at Mission San Juan Bautista

The Illumination at Mission San Juan Bautista

Once a year, just after dawn on the day of the winter solstice, people gather at Mission San Juan Bautista to see an “illumination,” a brief, breathtaking interval when a...   View Post»

   

Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest

The Week in Pictures | Dec. 20-24, 2010

Each weekday we sift through hundreds of wire photos and those shot by our staff photographers to bring you our favorites. At the end of the week we gather up all these photos...   View Post»

Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest

Mother Nature saved the best for last, with some of the largest swells of the day arriving during the final heat of Sunday’s Mavericks Invitational big wave surfing contest as thousands of spectators invaded a quaint coastal town known more for its annual pumpkin festival than for its surf.

The waves weren’t the largest ever seen at the famed Northern California Mavericks surf break a half-mile offshore of Half Moon Bay – the biggest faces reached 25 to 30 feet – but surfing fans still got their fill of steep drops, wipeouts and powerful, booming surf.

In the end, Peter Mel of Santa Cruz took home the crown. He decided to split the $50,000 pot with his six competitors, a symbol of good faith that has become a Mavericks Invitational tradition.

“We as a brotherhood decided to split the money,” Mel said, saying the group agreed to the split upon paddling out for the last heat.

“When you start a final like that, it takes the pressure off … and that’s when the waves started to come too,” he said.

– Associated Press

No comments yet

Add a comment or a question.

If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

Required

Required, will not be published