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Written by rsholin
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Brock Little, 38, North Shore, Oahu
Stature: 5-10, 160 pounds
Maverick’s results: Seventh in 1999, seventh (in a tie with Jay Moriarity) in 2000, another seventh (with Shawn Rhodes) in 2005 and third place in 2006.
Occupation: Water patrol/lifeguard, professional stunt man/actor
Maverick’s experience: Little is a Hawaiian at heart and he doesn’t like cold water. For this reason, he only rides Maverick’s at contest time. This makes his success out at Maverick’s even more amazing and a true testament to this waterman’s adaptability.
Notable: Little was one of the first of the legendary Hawaiian big-wave riders, along with Ken Bradshaw and the late Mark Foo, to experience the wave at Maverick’s. Little surfed the place for the first time on December 23, 1994, the day that Mark Foo drowned. His choice to surf a legitimate 20-foot swell at Maverick’s instead of stay at home in Hawaii validated the spot as a world-class big wave. It was the first time Hawaiian big wave surfers opted to skip a big swell in the islands in favor of riding waves in California, and it opened the surfing world’s eyes to the potential for huge perfect surf outside of Hawaii. Little’s return visits throughout the 90s, along with Bradshaw, helped stimulate a big-wave surfing renaissance in Northern California. Little will forever be known for his epic performance at the 1990 Eddie Aikau Contest. At age 20, he pulled into the barrel on a legitimate 20-footer and then in his next heat, Little dropped into what is still considered to be one of the biggest waves ever paddled into. He finished the event a close second to Keone Downing.
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