“You just gotta appreciate everything. And that’s one of the most important things in life, is just really appreciating it, because, you know, we got to do this once, and it’s not for a long time, so enjoy it.” – Jay Moriarity.
Jay Moriarity’s heart was bigger than the huge waves which he professionally surfed off the Northern California coast and which made him world famous. He was a true “soul surfer” and had an amazing spirit. The movie Chasing Mavericks tells his life story and our trip follows the road frequently traveled by Jay. This part of scenic CA-1 that winds along the Pacific Coast connects the town of Santa Cruz where Jay lived and trained with the Pillar Point, a unique coastal formation in the town of Half Moon Bay which produces one of the highest waves in the world due to its specific underwater geography. These monstrous waves are called “Mavericks”. Jay Moriarity rose to fame when he braved 30 ft Mavericks at the tender age of 16. These days an elite, by invitation only, surfing competition called Titans of Mavericks is held at the Pillar Point once a year between the months of December and March, when the chance of the perfect swells is higher due to winter storms.
You have to start the trip from Santa Cruz where Jay was born, lived and learnt to surf. Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point are featured in the movie which are still the prime spots for surfing (see town map further in the post). The surfing culture is strong in Santa Cruz. On any given day you would see dozens of surfers in the water, some are just enjoying themselves, others – preparing for a competition of a lifetime.
When you are visiting the Steamer Lane definitely stop by the Surfer Memorial and Surfing Museum.
The museum is small but it is FREE and it has a lot of neat exhibits about history of surfing. I, personally, loved the display dedicated to various surfing moves.
In addition to that, Santacruz.org created a great map showing all the locations where the movie was shot in town so you can take a self-guided walking tour:
Next stop on your route is Mavericks Surf Company store in Half Moon Bay created by Jeff Clarke, one of the most noteworthy and respected big-wave surfers, famous for surfing Mavericks alone for 15 years before it was widely discovered by the big-wave surfing community. Jeff is also one of the organizers of the aforesaid Titans of Mavericks competition.
The store itself is kind of a Mecca for surfers. You can buy surfing, swimming and beach gear here as well as California souvenirs. The store pays a tribute to Jay Moriarity with a huge photo of his posted on one of the walls that I used at the beginning of this blog post.
Your final destination is the Pilar Point and Mavericks Beach. This area is closed to the public during the competition due to the monstrous waves. I heard that it was closed after a couple of spectators were swept away by an enormous wave while they were standing ON TOP of the bluff!
You can only watch the competition form a hired boat or on TV. During the off season you can visit both the bluff and the beach, though you won’t have a huge wave action. However, thanks to YouTube you can have a glimpse of this phenomenal event:
If you are a fan of surfing there are two more special yearly events in the area that you wouldn’t want to miss:
- Santa Cruz Surf Film Festival: it usually takes place in October and showcases many different movies, both fiction and documentaries, full feature films and short films too – there will be a great variety to please everybody.
- Pacifica Dog Surfing Championship: usually takes place at the end of summer on Pacifica State Beach. It is a fun event for families whether or not you have your own dog competing (or whether or not you have a dog at all!)
To fully appreciate this family road trip itinerary you do have to watch the movie. It is very inspiring and very quintessentially Californian. It is great to watch with kids because it teaches a lot of important life lessons about love, friendship, kindness, dedication, hard work, focusing on one’s goals and following one’s dreams.
For non-surfing attractions in Santa Cruz to add to you itinerary, please, check my Santa Cruz family road trip itinerary. For information about non-surfing attraction on CA-1 en route from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay, please, check my scenic CA-1 family road trip itinerary.
SURFING RESOURCES FOR KIDS (images below are clickable links):
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