Giant wave faces. Swirling boils. Explosive speed. Huge peaks that pitch almost straight out. Ever wonder what makes a Mavericks wave -- the Mount Everest of surfing -- so unique and completely intimidating? Much it has to do with what's going on underneath the surface.

Mavericks is the world-renowned, big-wave break located 1/2 mile off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California. In 1975, Jeff Clark became the first person to ever surf Mavericks. Until 1990, he surfed there alone. Many believe this 15-year solo effort to be one of the great feats in surfing history. By the early 1990s, word of Jeff's adventures began to spread. Since then Mavericks has moved into the foreground of big-wave surfing, attracting the most elite riders to test its limits each time it breaks. These riders are presented with waves as high as 50 feet, remarkably strong currents, dangerous rocks, shallow reefs, and frigid water temperatures.

A Xerox PARC talk by Jeff Clark, the first man to surf Mavericks, and a hell of a 'big wave scientist.'

This thing is great. Gold star.