Lets go North to Mavericks!

Mavericks breaks over an ocean reef that is one-half mile off the coast of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, California. The reef is located just outside of Sail Rock, a navigational hazard for boats that appears on every nautical chart covering the northern California coast. Until Jeff Clark took on the challenge of riding the wave, it was known only as a stretch of ocean to be avoided.
There is a deep water canyon to the west of Mavericks. The large ocean swells come from the north or west depending on the particulars of each storm, and move unobstructed through the deep water canyon west of Mavericks before being funneled towards the main bowl. The shelf of the main bowl is 18 feet deep and drops to depths that exceed 70 feet in less than one-quarter of a mile.
When a significantly sized swell slams into the reef at Mavericks, it stops in its tracks and all that power gets launched out of the ocean like a volcano blowing its top. All the power and speed that has pushed this swell for many thousands of miles rises and heaves towards the shore with the strength of an avalanche and forms Mavericks, the wave that many believe to be the most challenging on the planet.



THE BEAUTY OF MAVERICKS
Once you get past the stark setting, the rocks, the sharks, the chill and the peak, you realize why Mavericks is widely considered the best big wave in the world. On good days, it seems to go on forever.
Mavericks and Todos Santos are world-class waves mostly for the drop, the seemingly endless descent into the trough and the precise bottom turn required to get around a fearsome explosion of whitewater. After that, life is good. Maintain your composure and you'll be gliding safely into a channel. Makaha (on the west side of Oahu) is a long, exciting wave at 18-20 feet and beyond, but those days are so rare, the place is quite nearly a myth (the Makaha Point Challenge, a contest for surfers ready to challenge the spot's epic point surf, has yet to take place in the dozen-odd years of its existence).
Mavericks is not only huge, steep and terrifying, it acts like a point break on the best days, constantly jacking up in a down-the-line pattern as it hits a succession of shallow spots in the reef. "The inside can be unbelievably challenging," says Santa Cruz standout Peter Mel. "I mean, it's got everything you want in a good wave -- speed, tube rides, the chance to maneuver -- with the added element of size."
To top it off, Mavericks also has a left. Only a few surfers have even attempted to go left, because the peak is even steeper and less negotiable in that direction, but it can be done. In fact, when Jeff Clark pioneered the spot, he went left almost exclusively, switching stance (so his body would face the wave) and getting some radical photographs from the early days. When Mavericks surfers talk about the future, they talk about someone pulling into that left tube and making it out on a legitimately big day. It hasn't happened yet.

Surfing in Carlsbad, California

Although the 35-mile drive from San Diego to Carlsbad may seem a little more than daunting on a summer weekend, a few gems await at the other end, including world-class La Costa Resort and Spa, to entice visitors and families. Carlsbad beaches offer a variety of activities such as swimming, surfing, body boarding, windsurfing, camping, bird watching, hiking, and kayaking. Carlsbad State Beach, about 5 miles in length, has picnic areas on the beach and above on the bluff. Walk along the coast or the nearly mile-long seawall / walkway adjoining the beach, beginning one block south of Carlsbad Village Drive. In between beach junkets, take the kids to Legoland, California — 128 acres of Legos, rides, and restaurants. Also, carve out a couple of hours and visit the boutiques, cafes, and antique stores of Carlsbad Village.