Marvelous Mavericks

Words & Photos by Luke Smude

Flea tries to outrun the black hole.

40 Hours before the 2009-2010 Mavericks Surf Contest got underway, Chris Bertish was pacing through the Cape Town Airport at 11pm contemplating an all too familiar decision. He explained, “I had to change my ticket to come out here 4 times. I was trying to figure out whether I was coming or whether I’m not. Whether the contest is running or whether it’s not.” He made the call to head to California and paid the fare with money he borrowed from his brothers and a close mate.


Evan Slater Hung up and preparing for a beat-down.

After 36 hours in the air, 2 boards lost boards by the airline, and 4 hours of sleep, Chris found himself on the wrong end of 40-foot clean-up set. “I tried to get under and take a breath, but I wasn’t even close,” he said” Three more waves detonated on him and he was in dire straits. “Everything got very calm, like I was about to black out. When Water Patrol got me on the sled I was like a lifeless corpse.” The pounding would have sidelined many competitors but Chris waited 10 years to get an invite to the contest and knew, ”opportunities in life don’t often come around again so I just had to make the most of it.”


Ion Banner prepares for a beating that left him with a black eye and blood streaming from his nose and fingers. “Once I saw the nose come over my head I was thinking of Jay, and thinking, ‘AHHHHH, I’m not going to make it.’ Definitely in the top 10 of wipeouts all-time”

It was a ballsy decision that paid off in spades. Through a mix of wave selection and hard-charging Bertish emerged as a Mavericks champion. It’s a distinction that earns him US$50,000. That’s enough to pay off his debts and make a couple more winter trips to North America. It was a humbling victory for the South African who dedicated the win, “to anyone who has had a dream that they thought they would never see come true.”


Bottom left to top right-Tim West Jr., Skindog, Carlos Burle, and Alex Martins scrape over the face of a mean one.

Bertish’s inspirational story was nearly crowded out by the sheer enormity of the day’s surf. Head judge Gary Linden said, “Today’s competition took the threshold to another level. What were big waves before are now medium sized waves.” Competitors and judges alike were confidently claiming Mavericks provided the biggest waves ever paddled into in a surfing competition. 2008 Mavericks champion Greg Long added, “the entire book of big wave surfing was rewritten today.”


Eventual winner Chris Bertish was welcomed after his 36 hours of travel with a cleanup set on the head that left him, “like a lifeless corpse when I finally got onto the sled.

An estimated 50,000 fans lined the cliffs and beaches to watch the competition unfold. The early heats set the tone for the rest of the day with the competitors chucking themselves over the ledge on some ridiculous waves. Local competitor Ion Banner said, “Ones people had been passing up, they were going on today.” The raised bar resulted in some amazing rides and some equally as amazing wipeouts. It was clear the limits were being pushed. At the end of the day Maverick’s ambassador Grant Washburn summed up the day quite well saying, “I don’t know how they’re going to top that.”


Anthony Tashnick was on fire all day and his semi final heat was heralded as the heat of the day. Here he is staking his clam to the $5000 “Gnarliest Drop” Award.


Dave Wassel on the wrong end of a Mavericks payout.


Alex Martins negotiating the flats. There was so much water moving it was tough to make it to the shoulder to complete the ride.


Shane Dorian nabbed a wave that had everyone talking. He caught it so far outside that he couldn’t be seen riding the first half of the wave. When we crested the first wave of the set all we could see was Dorian blazing out of the barrel, the crowd went bananas. It was an electric that has pushed this day to the forefront of big wave surfing.


Gary Linden put it this way, “This puts big wave surfing at the forefront of the sport, as it rightly deserves. It’s the sport of kings…and we have some new royalty coming up now.” Tassie, Skinny, Wassel, Burle, Desmond, and Bertish celebrate their coronation as the new kings.


Pure surfer, pure joy. Chris Bertish enjoying being king.

FINAL RESULTS
1st-Chris Bertish (S.A.)-US$50,000
2nd-Shane Desmond (USA)- US$25,000
3rd-Anthony Tashnick (USA)- US$15,000
4th-Dave Wassel (HAW)- US$10,000
5th- Carlos Burle (BRA)- US$8,000
6th-Ken Collins (USA)- US$6,000

OTHER AWARDS
Gnarly Head Wines “Gnarliest Drop Award”- Anthony Tashnick - US$5,000
Jay Moriarty Award for exemplifying the spirit of the fallen Mavericks surfer- Dave Wassel

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The wave that washed away the spectators