Mavericks Surf Competition Getting Makeover Under New Ownership

HALF MOON BAY (KCBS)— The Mavericks surf contest is getting a makeover this year under new ownership that hopes to make the annual big wave event in Half Moon Bay into a spectacle watched around the world.

Griffin Guess with Cartel Management said his company's goal is to make Mavericks into the "Super Bowl of surfing".

"Mavericks has always been kind of an alluring juggernaut of all things action sports, particularly in surfing. It's always been a mystical challenging wave that very few ride and there's always been this ominous tone of risk and thrill," Guess said.

Guess, a surfer himself, said he's hoping for a tighter, cleaner event that makes people want to surf. He is working with Jeff Clark and others involved in Mavericks from the beginning to bring in sponsorship money to defray costs for the contestants.

The full slate of changes, including a new name, will be unveiled later this summer.