Watch: Maverick's Bombs From Land, Air and Sea

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Nov 14, 2024 5:55 PM ET

Things change in a hurry at Maverick's, and that is reflected in Tucker Wooding’s expertly compiled video from the opening day of the 2024-25 winter. One minute it's a cinematic close-up of a Wilem Banks airdrop, the next it pulls back to reveal the ominous, rocky boneyard on the inside and the cold reality of what happens when you mess up here.

The San Francisco Bar buoy peaked at 11.2 feet @ 17 seconds of west swell on Tuesday morning, but things didn’t really get cooking at Mavs until the tide dropped in the afternoon. That’s when the beatdowns and big drops started.

You may recall Tucker for his uncanny drone skills in big-wave venues around the globe. He’s the one who followed Soli Bailey’s meticulous Cloudbreak beauty last spring. During the Northern Hemisphere winter, he’s often on Maui shooting Jaws from above and crashing on Albee Layer’s couch. As the swell moves east he’ll hop on a plane to film it hitting Maverick's. For his ceaseless efforts this year Tucker was awarded Videographer of the Year at the SURFER Big Wave Challenge awards in Nazaré last month.

This video, however, included great cinematography from Jamy Donaldson, Kyle Hulse and Curt Myers of Powerlines Productions as well as Tucker’s own. Together they documented some of the best (and worst) moments from a busy opening day. Luca Padua went full survival mode and somehow rode out of an avalanche, Santa Cruz’s Wilem Banks chipped in from the apex and Alo Slebir snagged several solid rides.

Not to be outdone, 18-year-old Half Moon Bay local Zoe Chait, fresh off a Qualifying Series appearance in Puerto Rico, grabbed a gun and got a clean roll-in. Enjoy the helping of highlights above.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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