Desensitization is a thing, and gosh darn-it, blame the cellphones.
We consume, bicker, break up, fall in love, curse our loved ones (perhaps former) with naughty screenshots, we fantasize about our futures, about others futures, we shop, gamble, learn, grow, find people we hate, people we love…all from our phone.
Thankfully, virtually, we can also watch some of the scariest waves in the world in realtime. Like below, Mavericks, December 6th, 2023.
I don’t know. It looks pretty cool to me.
Per the Mavericks Surf Awards:
“Surfers Alo Slebir and Jeff Kafka ride huge waves at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay on December 6th. A High Surf Advisory is in effect for the area.”
From photographer Fred Popmpermayer, who captured the swell in realtime, and whose gallery you can check out right here, the swell preceding this one looked like this:
“The same swell that bombarded the Hawaiian islands Thanksgiving day and Black Friday traveled across the Pacific to hit the West Coast. This swell delivered average-size, long-period swell with epic conditions and a beautiful sunny day. Yes, it wasn’t XXL-sized Mavs, but really, what more could you possibly ask for?”
As for the Mavericks Surf Awards, here’s the lowdown:
“The Mavericks Awards is a digital video performance contest in which big wave surfers and videographers submit their best surf content from Mavericks from the entire winter season. Founded by Jeff Clark and Chris Cuvelier, our mission is to celebrate Mavericks and the brave men and women that surf it. Our values of respect, inclusion, equality, safety and environmental stewardship guide all our decisions and how we operate the Mavericks Awards.”
Learn more here.
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