Sarah Gerhardt is a giant slayer, and will forever be known as the first woman to surf Mavericks, one of the biggest, scariest surf spots in the world.
Countdowns don’t get any more exciting than this. When conditions are just right, ocean swells pile up against an offshore reef, about 2 miles off the Northern California coastline near Half Moon Bay. The resulting break, known as Mavericks (or just “Mavs” to its big-wave fans) creates behemoth breakers, regularly cresting at 25 feet, with some topping out at more than 80 feet.