With bated breath the world’s best big wave surfers wait to hear who’s been announced as invitees for historical events like the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikua at Waimea Bay, or the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational held annually at the mighty big wave peak in Northern California.
That’s because they don’t just give these coveted spots to anybody, you know, there’s only a few to go around and a tangle of really strong hands looking to snatch one. Yesterday they announced the full list of invitees to the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational, and a couple of Saffa chargers smiled.
Grabbing two spots in the main event were past winners Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker and Cape Town’s Chris Bertish. A little further down the list, not making the main event, but with a possible backdoor entry into the party as an alternate, you’ll see the name of Frank Solomon.
Scroll a little further down and, hey, there’s Andy Marr and Mike Schlebach – who although are not among the names with a chance of surfing this year’s Invitational, are on the ‘Watch List’, meaning that they frikkin’ go big at Mavericks and should be in the event – if they had more room. It also means that if they show what they’re made of once again this season at Mavs, then there’s every possibility that they’ll be joining Twig and Chris (and possibly Frank) in the following year’s event.
Propping up the list at the base is the Vanilla Gorilla, Josh Redman. He’s also on the ‘Watch List’ thanks to the hours he’s spent chopping down Christmas trees and charging like a madman at the US of A’s premier big wave spot. His honourable mention means that the organisers are taking notice.
With six SA brus mentioned amongst the world’s elite, that’s something to be darn proud of – for them and Joe Surfer at Muizenberg, or even Tom Shred at New Pier.
We hope they bring back the title, AGAIN!
Check out the official press release below
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Elite List of Competitors for Mavericks Invitational Announced
2013-14 Season to Open November 1, 2013
Mavericks Invitational presented by GoPro© has released the official list of competitors and alternates for the 2013-14 season.
On just 24 hours notice this winter season, 24 big-wave surfers will make the trek to Half Moon Bay, California, to test their skill and vie for the title of Champion of the Mavericks Invitational. Competitors will face the dangerous elements of the frigid northern California waters in search of the perfect ride on massive waves.
This year’s list of nominees was determined by committee of five comprising Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark, Big Wave World Tour founder Gary Linden, three-time Mavericks champion Darryl Virostko, and respected big wave surfers Greg Long and Shawn Dollar. The list of nominees was sent to last year’s competitors and alternates, who then voted for their top picks.
Contest organizers announced that the contest waiting period will open on November 1, 2013, and run through March 31, 2014. Organizers have secured the permit from the San Mateo County Harbor District for this year and through 2016.
“We’re all stoked to be back for another year,” said Clark. “The 2013-14 season looks promising, with a lot of positive changes made for the competitors and fans. The perfect contest day we’re looking for is typically a northwest groundswell between 18 and 20 feet (translating into waves faces of 30- to 40-feet).” The contestants receive the famous green light alert and have approximately 24 hours to arrive for the event.
The 24 Competitors: 2013-14 Mavericks Invitational
Ryan Augenstein (Santa Cruz, CA)
Nic Lamb (Santa Cruz, CA)
Grant Baker (South Africa)
Greg Long (San Clemente, CA)
Chris Bertish (South Africa)
Rusty Long (San Clemente, CA)
Carlos Burle (Brazil)
Alex Martins (Brazil)
Kohl Christensen (Hawaii)
Peter Mel (Santa Cruz, CA)
Ken Collins (Santa Cruz, CA)
Ryan Seelbach (San Francisco, CA)
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA)
Jamie Sterling (Hawaii)
Shane Dorian (Hawaii)
Anthony Tashnick (Santa Cruz, CA)
Colin Dwyer (Pacifica, CA)
Grant Washburn (San Francisco, CA)
Nathan Fletcher (San Clemente, CA)
Dave Wassell (Hawaii)
Tyler Fox (Aptos, CA)
Ben Wilkinson (Australia)
Mark Healey (Hawaii)
Zach Wormhoudt (Santa Cruz, CA)
The ALTERNATES: 2013-14 Mavericks Invitational
1. Shane Desmond (Santa Cruz, CA)
4. Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL)
2. Danilo Couto (Brazil)
5. Tyler Smith (Santa Cruz, CA)
3. Derek Dunfee (San Diego, CA)
6. Frank Solomon (South Africa)
In addition, organizers have created a “Watch List” of big wave surfers who are pushing their skill level at Mavericks and in hot pursuit of an invitation to the contest. These surfers are highly respected and will be eligible for consideration for the next contest season:
Mark Alfaro
Wyatt Fields
Andrew Marr
Shawn Rhodes
Ben Andrews
Mike Gerhardt
Garret McNamara
Mike Schlebach
Ion Banner
Alex Gray
Jamie Mitchell
Russell Smith
Shawn Barron
Lance Harriman
Travis Payne
Tim West, Jr.
João deMacedo
Josh Loya
Josh Redman
See more on www.bigwaveworldtour.com
You forgot Mike Schlebach.
Crikey, the news just gets better! Yes, Mike’s invited too – congrats to all the Saffa representatives. And thanks Twig for pointing out the oversight.
Unbelievable! Good luck boys! saffa pride