Surfing Mavericks: Call of the Data

Join Exploratorium educator Lori Lambertson, an avid surfer, for a talk about the data and weather forecasting that goes into calling the Mavericks surf contest and the unique features of the famed break. This exciting big-wave contest, held 25 miles south of San Francisco, requires perfect conditions that only come every few years, including clean waves that are at least 30 feet high. What conditions produce these perfect, giant crashing waves?

This year’s contest, if it happens, will feature women for the first time in its history. Contestants, drawn from all over the world, have only 72 hours to get to the Bay Area once the event timing is announced.