Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark was born on March 26, 1957 in Redwood City of California. He is one of the most notable and renowned big wave surfers who gained worldwide respect and fame after surfing the Mavericks all by himself for 15 years. Maverick, a phenomenon occurring nearby Half Moon Bay of California, is an enormous perfectly shaped 20-foot wave that breaks like a hollow 6-footer with such savage fierceness that only brave-hearted surfers can face it. Besides riding the waves, Jeff Clark is also a founder of annual Mavericks Surf Contest., a surfboard shaper, surf clothe designer, and an occasional actor.
Early Life and Surfing Career
Jeff Clark was born in Redwood City but moved to Miramar Beach with his family when he was a child. He started frolicking in the 
waves from an early age and soon began to surf. He gradually mastered the stronger waves along the Northern Californian coast. During the winters, Clark and his friends used to observe the large waves off Pillar Point that broke near the Half Moon Bay’s hillside. The waves were later discovered to be Mavericks. When Clark was 17, he went out at Mavericks alone to surf the huge waves. His friends decided not to come as they thought it was a dangerous feat and warned Clark that they will tell the coast guard. For the next 15 years, he surfed the huge ferocious waves alone. Due to his bravery and determination, he is labeled as world’s best big-wave rider all over the world.
Clark is one of the few ambidextrous big wave surfers in the world. Ambidextrous means having equal ability to surf regular foot or goofy foot. Clark is a natural goofyfooter and had to learn to ride the waves on a regular foot for about ten years. His ambidexterity has also allowed him to ride the waves while facing them (frontside surfing). In 1994, Surfer Magazine called him as one of the “world’s best big-wave riders”. Clark has been featured in a handful of surf movies. Apart from appearing in Half Moon Bay and Mavericks surf scenes, he also acted in Riding Giants and Adventures in Wild California. Moreover, he is the only surfer to be featured in San Mateo County Sporty Hall of Fame.
In 1998, Clark teamed up with surf clothing manufacturer Quiksilver and founded the annual Mavericks Surf Contest. Later, Clark together with Evolve Sports, a San Francisco-based sports marketing group, formed Mavericks Surf Ventures. However in 2009, Clark resigned from the Board of Directors of MSV. Clark is considered as one of the best big wave surfboard shapers and designs his own line of custom boards. He runs Mavericks Surf Shop which is located in the Princeton Harbor neighborhood of Half Moon Bay where he sells his own line of clothing and surfboards.
