March, 1958. Nobody seems to know the exact date, but big-wave fanatics can recite the names by heart: Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson, and Dick Notmeyer (humans; surfer variety), and Maverick (canine; white-haired German Shepherd, to be precise).

As the story goes, Alex, Jim, and Dick decided to test the big waves off of Pillar Point. As they paddled out, Maverick, displaying the fearless yearning for adventure with which his name is now synonymous, charged after them. Although he was promptly returned to shore and secured to a car bumper, the courageous pup's feisty spirit did not go unrecognized. After a day of grappling with a wave they eventually deemed far too dangerous for mere mortals, the three surfing pioneers named the break Maverick's Point.

And that, for another 14 years at least, was pretty much that.

In 1975, another local surfer, Jeff Clark, gazed out at the monster surf break his junior high school teacher used to refer to as Mavericks, and thought "Why not?" For the next 15 years, Clark enjoyed what was essentially his own private salt-water roller coaster. Nobody else seemed to be aware (or willing to believe) that a Hawaii-sized giant wave resided off the Northern California coast. Word did eventually get out, though. Curious friends began to accompany Jeff when he rode Mavericks, and in 1990 Surfer Magazine published a photograph of the site. Soon, there was even a movie (Gary Mederios's Waves of Adventure in the Red Triangle). What was once a mere rumor became a must-visit destination.

Among those intrigued by the stories emanating from Mavericks was legendary Hawaiian big-wave surfer, Mark Foo. Two days before Christmas in 1994, Foo, along with some friends from home and a group of local surfers, paddled into the Pacific. After taking off late into an 18-foot wave, Foo wiped out, disappearing from view. It was the last time anyone would see him alive.

A pivotal moment in the history of Mavericks, Foo's tragic passing will forever symbolize the extraordinary danger posed by the wave, as well as the indomitable spirit of the surfers determined to face it. In 1999, the first competition was held at Mavericks, under the direction of Quiksilver. Won by Santa Cruz's Darryl "Flea" Virostko, it represented the transformation of Mavericks from little-known surf break to international phenomenon. The Mavericks Surf Contest® — now an annual (conditions permitting) event — is an awe-inspiring showcase of nature's fearsome beauty, and serves as a living tribute to those who stretch the limits of human potential.