Was This Past Mavericks Swell a Harbinger for an Epic Big-Wave Season?

This past week, surfers from Hawaii to California saw days of waves with classic autumn conditions as the hype of an El Niño winter was reinforced. The heavily anticipated swell started off in Japan as Super Typhoon Bolevan and recorded over 50-foot seas for more than 24 hours–sending long-period swell to Hawaii’s doorstep and less than 48 hours later, awakening the famed big-wave spot known as Mavericks.

With a period upwards of 22 seconds, Mavericks rapidly awoke before dark on Wednesday the 18th with clean conditions and sets larger than surfers have seen since the 2021/2022 season. Although it wasn't the type of big that gets the entire surf world traveling to the break, it did provide some of the most ideal conditions before the fog came steam-rolling in around 4:45 pm. Sunny skies with warm water temps (by Central California standards) allowed many surfers to opt out of booties and hoods. The wind was light in the morning and went completely slack in the afternoon, one of the more rare feats for the wind-exposed break.

As with many early-season swells, it was a fun-filled day of smiles and story-telling–the big-wave camaraderie on full display. And with south winds forecasted for the morning (which was onshore/stormy), a few pints of beer were consumed guilt-free at the Old Princeton Landing. With swells like this already happening in October, it’s hard to be anything but excited about what may be in store for the North Pacific Ocean this winter.

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