Mavericks surf competition organizers file for bankruptcy

UPDATED 2/1/17 6:18 PM: The fate of the Titans of Mavericks big wave surf contest is up in the air because of financial issues leading the organizers of the event to file for bankruptcy.

This was supposed to be the first time that women got to compete in the competition that takes place in Half Moon Bay.

The harbor commissioner in San Mateo County says she doesn’t see that historic moment happening this year.

It’s one of surfing’s biggest events but, this year the Titans of Mavericks competition may be beached.

“It does look like the event is not going to happen this season.” said Sabrina Brennan, the San Mateo harbor commissioner. That’s because Cartel Management Inc. and Titans of Mavericks, LLC., the event organizers, have filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Adding to their troubles, the organizer’s former sponsor Red Bull Media filed a lawsuit against the company last Friday. With only two months left on their event permit with the county, San Mateo’s harbor commissioner says it’s unlikely that an event can be pulled together in time. “A huge disappointment to the athletes” said Brennan. “Especially for the women athletes who have been waiting so long to compete in the event and only got included this season.” It’s not just those athletes who are disappointed, local surfers are too. “I think it’s a bummer” says local surfer Anthony Cruz. “I think hopefully you know maybe some members of the community can get together and help fundraise and get the contest together.” “There’s some guys who lift weights and train really hard and then they try to get out in the water and they can barely paddle” said local surfer Liza Barton. Barton surfs out at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz. She says that even though the event might not happen this year, she’s still glad that the door was finally opened to women to surf in future mavericks competitions. “It’s super cool that girls are gonna get to do it now” said Barton. “I think a lot of people don’t think that they can do it but there’s a a lot of people that don’t think that they can do it but there’s a lot of girls who can really charge so it’s pretty awesome.” We reached out to Cartel Management. The spokesperson said he was not at liberty to discuss the bankruptcy and redirected us to their press release issued today.

PREVIOUS STORY: The famous surf competition, Titans of the Mavericks, appears to be in deep financial trouble.

Two of its organizers, Titans of Mavericks LLC and Cartel Management, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by KION.

The contest was established in 1999. It is known for the explosive waves that challenge brave surfers from all over the world, year after year.

The filing comes after the contest began accepting women surfers for the first time. The contest’s website remains active while Cartel Management’s is down.