Bob's Video Page
California's Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave Ever Ridden Surfers, take
note: The biggest wave ever ridden was not in Hawaii, or Australia, it was 100
miles off the southern California
coast. Mavericks, off the California
coast near Half Moon Bay, became famous among big wave surfers in 1994 when
Mark Foo, one of the world's greatest big wave surfers, caught his last-ever
big wave and died in the cold Mavericks surf. Since then, Mavericks has become
a Mecca for those who crave the
thrill of surfing the big waves. Quiksilver, the surf wear company, has
sponsored its big wave competition at Mavericks since 1999.
But the waves at Mavericks are a mere 20 feet high. The really big waves
lurk off the southern California
coast, 100 miles out of San Diego at the Cortes Bank. Here, a 17-mile
underwater mountain range comes to a head 3 feet below the surface at a spot
called Bishop Rock. This place has been known to ocean-going ships and
fishermen for years. The waves there signal danger on the underwater rocks and
are so big they show up on radar.
To get the biggest waves at Cortes Bank, you need light winds, low tides,
and big storm swells from the northwest all at the same time, a Pacific
surfer's version of the "perfect storm". When it happened on January 19, 2001, California
big wave riders scrambled to test their skill against the biggest, baddest wave
ever ridden. These waves move so fast that surfers can't catch them by
paddling, so they enlist the aid of a fearless jet skier who tows them with a
rope until they are moving fast enough to catch the wave.
As if being chased by a mountain of water while being towed by a jet ski at
30-40 mph isn't scary enough, then there's the wave itself. The record-breaking
wave of the day was 70 feet according to their measurements. Mike Parsons was
riding that 70+ foot tall wave- which is greater then the height of a six-story
building (see video).
Parsons took home $60,000 from the Swell/XXL Biggest Wave Wins event for
his ride, as the biggest wave ever ridden. Santa Cruz's
Ken "Skindog" Collins, who was towing with Peter Mel thinks he should
get a cut just "for having to watch that wave." The same wave, after
traveling over a hundred miles and reduced to a quarter of its former size,
surprised surfers at San Diego's Blacks
Beach three hours later. This
landlubber is in awe of them all.