Big wave surfers take on huge swells at Mavericks in Northern California

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Some of the world’s best big wave surfers are descending the coastal town of Half Moon Bay to ride the huge waves at Mavericks. 

The athletes took advantage of the massive swells that slammed the California coastline during the last week of December, drawing even more international attention to the sport of big wave surfing. It has gained more momentum over the years, as videos and photos of elite athletes putting their lives on the line to ride giant waves go viral on social media. The emotional and physical challenges surfers endure to train year-round for competitions, like The Mavericks Awards, have also gained more notoriety.

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Surfer Luca Padua takes on a big wave. (Tom Hoppa and Mavericks Awards)

Elite athletes traveled to California’s Half Moon Bay from places all over the world, including Portugal, France, Brazil and Hawaii, to take on Mother Nature by riding waves as tall as 70 feet. 

Half Moon Bay is located between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and it is one of a handful of big breaks worldwide. The two other most popular in the world for big breaks are located in Jaws in Hawaii and Nazare in Portugal, where much of the HBO docuseries "100 Foot Wave" was filmed.

Professional surfer JoJo Roper, who was towed by talented waterman Jamie Mitchell, rode one of the giant waves during Mavericks on Dec. 28. Tens of thousands of fans have viewed video of Roper riding the massive swells on social media. A number of videographers got footage of all the action, including Big-Wave documentarian Tim Bonython and Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark.

RFK JR CATCHES WAVES WITH SURFING