20 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {quickpunch} How would you describe Mavericks? Mavericks is a surf spot, located a half-mile out, off Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay. The reef structure underwater shapes large ocean swells into a very large, rideable wave. Mavericks is known throughout the world as one of the biggest surfable waves on the planet. Tell us about the first time you surfed there? On that winter day in 1975, I caught five waves. After the first successful attempt, all I could think was, “I want another one of those!” What was a close call you’ve had at Mavericks? In 2004, there was a giant swell. I was pulled into a monster only to find out that there was no way I could make it. I turned up the face of the wave and punched through the roof and out the back. My tow partner and driver missed the pickup and a 60-foot wave caught all of us … One of the worst situations I’ve ever been in. Any advice you’d give to novice surfers? Start small and work your way up in wave size in a very calculated way. Just remember that one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. What was your first job and what did you learn from it? At nine years old, I was scraping floor tiles in a commercial building remodel in Oakland, and I got a dollar a day. THE Q & A JEFF CLARK I learned how to work, and I learned it was something that I didn’t want to do for the rest of my life. How do you make your living these days? I started shaping surfboards in my early teens, and now I build and design my own line of surfboards. They are all made specific to whatever is needed for the water conditions and tailored to the rider. What can you tell us about your experience as a camera boat driver for Chasing Mavericks? It’s a film about Jay Moriarty, whom I helped teach how to surf Mavericks. I am not sure that anyone else could do the job they were asking. I was able to put that boat in places that many thought were impossible because I know Mavericks like the back of my hand. How do you get the confidence to take on such big waves? When people run from the ocean is when I am interested in going in it. Being in the moment, with a power that is constantly trying to kill you, is key to your survival. Being so immersed in the ocean that you become a part of it. Feeling every small movement and all the nuances and energy. I pray before I go in. Growing up, what was your favorite book? Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The only limits are the ones you create. Half Moon Bay’s famous big-wave surfer and co-founder of the Mavericks Surf Contest spills about daring feats, close calls and being in tune with the ocean. IMAGE: ANNIE BARNETT
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