Chris Bertish

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) – Amid growing anticipation of the Mavericks Surf Contest, the case of a former Maverick’s champion is among those shining a spotlight on an unhealthy element of the local surfing scene: methamphetamine abuse. For many surfers in Santa Cruz County, including some of the very best surfers in the world, big waves and meth go hand in hand. “They don’t sleep for five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten days. They don’t know what’s real, they don’t know what’s not. That’s generally...Read Full Story

South African surfer Chris Bertish won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest today.  Announcers claims that the waves were among the biggest ever contested in a 'paddle in' contest.The Mavericks big wave surfing contest awards $150,000 in prize money.  It is one of the most lucrative big-wave contests in the sport.  The Mavericks event is held only when swell and waves are 'big enough' to test the skills of the world's best big wave riders.  Competitors voted to hold the contest because...Read Full Story

South African surfer Chris Bertish won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest today.  Announcers claims that the waves were among the biggest ever contested in a 'paddle in' contest.The Mavericks big wave surfing contest awards $150,000 in prize money.  It is one of the most lucrative big-wave contests in the sport.  The Mavericks event is held only when swell and waves are 'big enough' to test the skills of the world's best big wave riders.  Competitors voted to hold the contest because...Read Full Story

Santa Cruz Mavericks competitor Shane Desmond and Chris Bertish are leading the finals heat of the Mavericks Surf Contest.  The tide is shifting and approaching low tide, and for the first 20 minutes of the heat no one caught a ride.  Shane dropped into one of the only waves of the first half of the heat.  Contest organizers then extended the final by 15 minutes. Betish later nabbed an impressive ride.Huge waves are hitting the coast of Half Moon Bay, CA and many of the world's best big wave...Read Full Story

HALF MOON BAY (CBS SF) — The opening of the big-wave surfing contest at Mavericks has been delayed by a month, organizers for the event announced Wednesday. The window for the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational, which was due to open Thursday, will now open Jan. 1 and close March. 31, 2012, organizer and big wave surfer Jeff Clark said in a statement. The reason given for the delay was a lack of decent swells so far this year at the famed big-wave break, which is less than a mile off the San...Read Full Story