Mavericks Awards / Fred Pompermayer
Like a young child on a long road trip, Mavericks had its mood swings during the 2023-24 winter.
As is expected during an El Niño season, Mavericks had happy days of picture-perfect wedges groomed by light offshore. Then there were swells with monstrous west bowls plagued by onshore vile. At times, especially that December 28 swell, the wave looked like it was throwing a tantrum.
For the past four years, a few local businessmen in Half Moon Bay have cobbled together cash to recognize surfers and filmers who made the most of the previous season. Created by Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark and local entrepreneur Chris Cuvelier, the Mavericks Awards offers a $25,000 pot for men and women to win in three categories: Ride of the Year, Biggest Wave, and Performer of the Year. The award ceremony, the local’s night version of the XXL Awards, compiled all the submitted rides caught on video.
Winners took home $5,000 per award, split 60 percent to the surfer and 40 percent to the filmer. Judging each submission was an esteemed panel of Clark, three-time Mavericks champion Darryl “Flea” Virostko, award-winning surf photographer Fred Pompermayer, former WSL Big Wave Tour judge Heather Hamilton, and Santa Cruz Waves founder and former Mavericks competitor, Tyler Fox.
The fourth rendition of the award ceremony went down in Half Moon Bay at the raucous San Benito House Cantina on Saturday. See the video above for a full breakdown of all the nominees and winners.
Speaking of winners, after numerous sessions logged by hand and ski, Santa Cruz’s Alo Slebir earned the coveted male Performer of the Year award. It’s Slebir’s second consecutive Performer of the Year title, and he’s quickly becoming one of the Mavericks’ premier practitioners. Catch some of his highlights here.
On the women’s side, San Francisco’s Bianca Valenti swept the podium for the third straight season. She and 18-year-old Half Moon Bay local Zoe Chait were the only nominees on the female side for each category.
Jojo Roper of San Diego got a well-earned nod for the Biggest Wave category after he paddled into a poster-worthy bomb that graced the notices for Saturday’s ceremony. If you’re wondering what happened to all the tow waves, the organizers decreed that the Biggest Wave and Ride of the Year must be prone paddle waves. Tow waves are essentially a tiebreaker for POTY. And no coin for wipeouts.
A perennial standout of the last few seasons, Wilem Banks of Santa Cruz received the Ride of the Year award for wheeling down a late afternoon bomb, getting into his signature tuck-knee stance, and then surviving the avalanche. He had full faith in his 9’4” gun built by Half Moon Bay shaper Mike Wallace, who also supplies Grant “Twiggy” Baker whenever he comes to Pillar Point.
Here’s Banks’ clip from drone wiz Tucker Wooding.
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Mavericks will be dormant for another six to seven months. Best savor these waves in the meantime.