No more Mavericks Surf Contest?

 

Big Mavericks

Surfline reported two days ago that the primary sponsor, Barracuda Networks, just pulled out of The Jay at Maverick’s Big Wave Invitational. On top of this the family of Jay Moriarity, for whom the contest is named after, is requesting to remove his name from the title as well.

Many people, including Cyrus Saatsaz from Inertia.com, believe that the future of the contest is “uncertain” and that there may be no sponsor willing to step in.

I agree that it may be hard to find a sponsor because of the slow economy and the fact that the contest will no longer officially be dedicated to Jay—giving it more importance than a regular contest. But I don’t think there is anything to worry about. There are enough eyes and attention on that place, as well as a group of very dedicated surfers that live there and will make it happen.

I wish the contest would still be dedicated to Jay because I think it is important to remember the few who do pass away while surfing or doing a related activity. I never knew him, but I remember reading about his death in 2001, my very first Surfer Magazine, and I am sure that I knew someone that knew him. I am absolutely convinced that in the surfing world, the theory of 6 degrees of separation is completely true, but that's an entirely different conversation.

Background

For those who don’t know, Mavericks is a surf spot located in Half Moon Bay, California and is known for its huge, insane, and cold conditions during the winter. And when I say huge conditions, I mean 30-50 foot waves. This spot as been influential in surfing innovation because this is where surfers pushed the limits of paddle-in surfing, in relation to the size of the wave, after years of big wave tow-in surfing.

 

Paddle-in Surfing



Paddle-in surfing is where a surfer catches a wave by paddling, while tow-in surfing is where a surfer is towed into a wave by a personal water craft (PWC).

 

Jay Moriarity, the surfer who the contest is dedicated to, was a surfer from Santa Cruz who was known for charging Mavericks at a young; at 16 years old, Jay made the cover of Surfer Magazine for a wipeout he had there. At a young age he was a respected surfer at Mavericks.



Tow-in Surfing

In 2001 Jay drowned while in the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, and later The Jay at Maverick’s Big Wave Invitation came about. This contest consists of 24 surfers invited to participate along with 17 alternates. These surfers are from around the world and are known for riding large surf. The contest is not held every year, only when the surf is big enough.



Jay Moriarity