Mavericks

The winner takes a spill.

Thousands flooded into Half Moon Bay on Sunday to witness the epic surf contest, but mostly just saw seagulls. They were hoping to see Mavericks, one of the world's toughest, most revered surf competitions. Mavericks was indeed happening, a half-mile offshore, but you'd need a Jet Ski or telescope to actually see it. The lack of prime viewing spots was not unexpected. The beach and bluffs at Pillar Point were closed to the public to prevent a repeat of spectator injuries during previous contests.

Peter Mel, winner of this year's Mavericks Invitational surfed in a less than stellar group, not saying they are not good surfers, but some of the big names couldn't do it due to injury or conflicts. The waves were big but not the massive waves that have come before. I would say it was an average year though a good contest.