14 Jan
Mavericks Surf Contest 2008 Photos
Posted in California, Events, Locations, Mavericks, Photography, San Francisco, Sports, Stock Photo by JimSaturday was the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest and I had the opportunity to photograph it from the shoulder of the surf break. The event was incredible as always. Surf conditions were big to say the least and the performances of Greg Long (the winner of the contest), Jamie Sterling, Grant Washburn, Grant Twiggy Baker, Even Slater and Tyler Smith were incredible. More photos are to come, but here are a few to enjoy in the meantime.
Update: More Mavericks photos have been added to my Photoshelter Mavericks gallery for more immediate viewing.
Greg Long and Jamie Sterling drop in on a huge wave at the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest
Boards and Buoys, 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest
Notice anything odd about one of the boards?
Tyler Smith drops in on a monster wave at 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest
Jamie Sterling (red) and Greg Long (orange) battle it out in the final heat of the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest
Stay Tuned For More Mavericks Photos…
Technorati Tags: Mavericks, surf, contest, photo, photos, photography, giant, wave, surfing, surfboard, Half Moon Bay
Andre
on January 14 2008
Great shots, Jim! Couldn’t make it out this year, but it looks like it was great shooting conditions!
Bob
on January 14 2008
Very cool. Someday I want to attend.
Richard Wong
on January 14 2008
that lip of the wave is menacing! how close was your boat to the action? great shots Jim.
Jim
on January 14 2008
@Andre Thanks! It started off overcast but cleared up mid morning.
@Bob Thanks. I highly recommend seeing the spectacle that is Mavericks at least once.
@Richard I’m not sure on the distance but the boat was pretty close to the action. The distance varied depending on the current and boat traffic. The Coast Guard monitors the placement of the boats and sets up buoys to keep everyone out of harms way. I’m not 100% sure how far the buoys are from the waves. Either way you wouldn’t want to get too close.
M.Austin
on January 14 2008
Cool blog! The photos are incredible!
G Dan Mitchell | Photography » Mavericks?
on January 14 2008
[...] I wasn’t there this past weekend for the big surf championship. I was nearby on a beautiful section of the coast a bit further south. I saw really big waves. I saw surfers. But I didn’t see Mavericks. (My photos are scheduled show up here in early February, though you can see a preview at my Flickr and Photo.net galleries now.) Jim Goldstein did photograph Mavericks, from all evidence from very close to the action, and he has posted a first set of images. [...]
Gary Crabbe
on January 15 2008
Jim:
That first shot is perfect! Nice capture. Where were you shooting from? Certainly not on the hill…
How were the crowds? I wish I could have made it down there.
Jim
on January 15 2008
@Gary Thanks
This year I had the good fortune of photographing the event from the media/press boat. The crowds were large and traffic was managed, but still not ideal. The hill/cliff was packed but cleared out in the late morning. It’s always a sight to see. There’s always next year to get out there and see the action. In fact all you have to do is track winter storms and you can go out there to see people jumping into the big swells.
kRiZcPEc
on January 19 2008
100% agree with Gary Crabbe, “the first shot is perfect”, the men are so small compared to the wave behind them and as I interpret it, this is a strong suggestion of their bravery. Love the last one too, only that the contrast isn’t as big.
Mavericks Surf Contest 2008 - Greg Long & Jamie Sterling Final Heat - Surfchannel
on January 21 2008
[...] Greg Long and Jamie Sterling dropping in on a huge wave during the final heat of competition at the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest more photos can be found on my blog [...]