Mavericks in Film and Books
The first video images were shot by Eric W. Nelson in February 1990. On that sunny day Jeff Clark paddled out with Dave Schmidt and Tom Powers. Eric was shooting for his community access television show "Powerlines Surf-Spots". This would be the genesis of the Powerlines Productions company that showcases big wave surfing around the world.
Nelson's first film was "'High Noon at Low Tide'" 1994/2005. In 1998 he produced another big wave documentary Twenty Feet Under. Meanwhile Curt Myers, another local filmmaker, had produced Shifting Peaks and Heavy Water 1994/1995.
On December 11, 1998, during a big Northwest open ocean swell reaching 20–25 feet, Curt Myers was shooting from the water and Eric was shooting from land. On this memorable swell they joined forces and produced the mini documentary twelveleven.
Clark and Maverick's are featured in the 1998 documentary Maverick's, a one hour PBS film that chronicles the break's early years, and the 2004 film Riding Giants, which documents the history of big wave surfing. Directed by skateboarder turned documentary producer Stacey Peralta (best known for the skating documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys), Riding Giants includes interviews and commentary materials with many of the surfers mentioned in this article.
In the film Zoolander, Owen Wilson's character's entourage includes a big wave surfer from Maverick's.
Chasing Mavericks, A bio pic about the life of Mavericks surfer Jay Moriarity started production in October 2011. The film stars Gerard Butler as Frosty Hesson, Abigail Spencer as Brenda Hesson, Frosty's wife. Jonny Weston as Jay Moriarity, Elizabeth Shue as Christy Moriarity, Jays Mother; Leven Rambin as Kim Moriarity, Jay's Wife. Maya Rains plays Roque Hesson daughter for Frosty and Brenda, Patrick and Asher Tesler (twins) portray Lake, son of Frosty and Brenda.
On December 19, 2011, film star Gerard Butler escaped a near death accident while filming the movie. He was pounded by a set of 12–16 foot waves at Mavericks. Butler was held underwater for several waves and dragged through rocks until rescued by a safety worker on a jetski. According to eyeforfilm.co.uk, "Butler was knocked off his board by a freak wave. He was trapped underwater as two more waves went over him, and witnesses say he took the force of four or five waves to the head. He was also dragged through rocks before rescuers managed to reach him and get him to the shore. Butler was conscious when pulled from the water and has spent the next sixteen hours in Stanford Medical Center. No statement has been made on his condition but he is believed to have sustained only minor injuries." Butler was standing, although shaken, before being taken by the ambulance.
A memoir, MAKING MAVERICKS by Frosty Hesson with Ian Spiegelman, was released by Zola Books (www.zolabooks.com) in October 2012. The book recounts Hesson's time as one of the first to conquer the massive break at Mavericks and his mentoring of Moriarity, whose spectacular wipeout in 1994 landed the 16-year-old surfing phenomenon in the pages of the New York Times and on the cover of Surfer magazine.
Read more about this topic: Mavericks (location)
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