Why is the big wave world being all like that?
The window for Titans of Mavericks opens Nov. 1, a mere 10 days away and exciting. Big scary El Nino fueled waves bashing up on the rocks. Men, braver than you or I, bobbing on slender, long boards ready to conquer God’s creation. But guess who (allegedly) won’t be there? Shockingly, South African former champ Grant “Twiggy” Baker.
Baker, who won the event in 2006 and a Red Bull event there in 2014 along with the Big Wave World Tour in 2013/14, has been cut, my inside source tells me, due to a feud with Mavericks’ discoverer Jeff Clark. Clark famously saw Mavericks when he was seventeen years old and surfed it all alone until the 1990s when “California’s Waimea” blew up. He has had a cantankerous relationship with events at the wave for the past few years. Lawsuits, counter suits, etc.
What did Twig do to (theoretically) anger Mr. Clark? It is unclear but don’t worry! BeachGrit is working the big wave scene and I never knew it was so thrilling, so filled with pain, anger, spurned love. This dust-up following closely on the heels of the brouhaha between Kelly Slater, Ken Collins, etc. over Jaws (read here).
I once told Peter Mel that I wanted to paddle out to Mavericks with him but now that I am older it doesn’t sound very fun. Twiggy thinks it’s fun though. Watch him here because you won’t be (purportedly) watching him this year.
Twiggy Baker Mavericks Champion from Isurus Wetsuits on Vimeo.