Last Years big wave spectacle, The 2005 Maverick’s Surf Contest was charmed. A late season long period swell forced rapid changes in travel plans for many to occur as we all scrambled to get to Half Moon Bay. You don’t get to practice much in the orchestrating of a big wave event so getting the criteria for judging while learning to keep the boat on the spot were first on our agenda upon arrival in the lineup. The waves would not let us down this day with some mackers pushing past the 40’ zone. Contest Director Jeff Clark wanted from the start to let 4 added alternates surf. So with the no shows due to distance, Ross Clark-Jones, or injury, defending 3 times champion Flea Virostko, everyone got to surf. For some the heats of 7 surfers was too much, but for standout 7th men like Tyler Smith and Ryan Agustine it was all the chance they needed to prove that the line-up at Maverick’s was to be forever altered. Greg Long’s young precise style combined with a late take off on a huge wave earned him the first 10 point ride of the event. Particularly exciting was his ability to power through the white water bowl section. The semis went electric when Shane Desmond rode the biggest wave of the day dropping backside just barely holding under the lip. Another 10, this one a little more amazing than the first. By half way through the final the outcome was not clear, both Greg Long and Anthony Tashnick needed one more great wave to seal the deal but in the end Tashnick maintained the form that he had shown heat by heat over the last two years. Wave selection and full control power surfing was on display this year in the form of winner Anthony Tashnick, yet another Westside victory celebration.

...a few more notable past events

All Big Wave Spots - Gary Linden has achieved this winter one of his surfing goals, at 54 he now surfed all 4 major big waves: Waimea, Todos Santos, Dungeon and Mavericks. On December 18th, 2003 he finaly caught Mavericks on a big day catching a fair share of bombs! (this photo @ todos on a Linden balsa gun)

Red Bull Pororroca - January 2003
Pororroca Film Expedition 2004
Red Bull Big Waves Africa 2003

Margaritaville Longboard Surfing Trophy Series- Gary Linden was the Contest Director of these series, which were the first surfing event to give the same amount of price money to women and men setting up a precedent for the future US Longboard Championships.

Stand Out Events:
1998 Reef@Todos - ISA Big Waves Team World Championships - Mexico. Gary Linden was the Contest Director, Head Judge and logistic mastermind of this historical event during wich Taylor Knox surfed one of the biggest wave ever, a 52 foot wave winner of the $50k XXL Big Wave Challenge for the biggest wave surfed during this season.

and the list goes on...

Read About Past Events
Red Bull Tuberide
Mavericks 00'
Isla de Madiera
Mavericks 04'