The Science of Mavericks Surf
BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA – Ever since I was a child, I have loved watching surfer films and surfing competitions on the things like The Wide World of Sports. One of my favorite restaurants is Islands. What draws me isn't the food. Don't get me wrong, I like it okay. It's the surfing videos that run non-stop that I find most appealing. Hawaii's north beach is one of my favorites for the pipeline. In the continental U.S., Mavericks is one of the best.
South of San Francisco near Half Moon Bay, Mavericks is known for challenging big wave competitions and was the death of Hawaiian surfer Mark Foo. Geologists have generated a high-resolution 3D map of the underwater terrain to discover why Mavericks delivers such magnificent waves. According to the researchers, "the abrupt topography of the bedrock reef at Mavericks causes wave energy to converge over the reef, causing the wave to rapidly slow down, shorten in length and substantially increase in height." As waves get close to shore, their base begins to run into the seafloor, slowing the deeper parts of the wave. The shallower part of the wave keeps moving at the same pace, causing the wave to stand up and then pitch forward.
You can view an animation of Mavericks. The sweep of the undersea floor, its rapid rise, combined with the gaping mouth of the bay creates the powerful wave face so desired by competitive surfers.
