Mavericks on with 20-foot waves possible

Sunny skies and the promise of monster waves greeted contestants Sunday at the Mavericks Invitational big-wave surfing contest in California. Forecasts for 20-footers meant the elite tournament was declared "on" for the first time in three years at the legendary reef break south of San Francisco. The National Weather Service predicted some major sets, although the long interval between sets could mean waits of up to 30 minutes in the frigid waters. Meanwhile, spectators were being kept away from the shoreline in order to prevent them from being hit by rogue shore breaks. One big-name surfer watching warm and dry on shore was Kelly Slater, whom organizers said had to pull out on Saturday. The tournament said in a written statement Slater had to withdraw due to a conflict with the rules of the Association of Surfing Professionals. The statement said since Slater is ranked in the ASP top 34, he cannot participate in events that are not sanctioned by the ASP. Mavericks did not apply for a special ASP sanction that would have allowed Slater to take part. From UPI