Jay Moriarity was a surfer from Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...

. He was an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. As a surfer, he made his reputation surfing Mavericks

Mavericks (location)

Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing location in Northern California, U.S.A.. It is located approximately 2 miles from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely...

 in Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....

. At age 16, he was made internationally famous when his wipeout at Mavericks was caught on film and made the cover of Surfer (magazine)

Surfer (magazine)

Surfer magazine is a monthly surfing culture magazine published in San Clemente, California.The magazine was founded by John Severson in 1959 as a program to accompany his yearly surf films...

. Four days later at Mavericks, on a smaller wave, legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer Mark Foo

Mark Foo

Mark Sheldon Foo was a professional surfer.-Life and career:Born in Singapore to Chinese photojournalists for the U.S. Information Agency, he relocated to Hawaii at age 10. Foo spent his early childhood surfing the South Shore of O'ahu...

 drowned. Foo's death brought Mavericks out of obscurity and to the forefront of big wave surfing

Big wave surfing

Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or "rhino chasers". Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as...

. Although a successful competitor, Jay is remembered as a soul surfer

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a term coined in the 1960s, used to describe a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter in competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. The term denotes a spirituality of surfing...

, winning many sportsmanship awards throughout his career.

Life

Born in Georgia in 1978, Moriarity and his family moved to Santa Cruz, California, soon after his birth. His father was Green Beret parachutist and a surfer, who introduced his son to surfing when he was 9 years-old. He immediately took to surfing and quickly became a respected surfer in Santa Cruz. Not limited to either a shortboard or a longboard, he was known as a versatile surfer who appreciated all aspects of surfing. This appreciation was rooted in an overall love for the ocean, seen in his accomplishments as a swimmer, paddler, diver, and fisherman. Achieving success in surfing as a youngster, he became increasingly interested in surfing Mavericks, north of Santa Cruz in Half Moon Bay. After intense physical and mental training he began surfing Mavericks at 16 years of age, and soon became a respected regular in the line-up.

He died on June 15th, 2001, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the island Lohifushi in the Maldives, drowning in an apparent diving accident. In Lohifushi for an O'Neill photo shoot, he went free-diving with members of the Brazilian crew but was not seen after. Details of his death are uncertain but he was reported to have gone farther down the buoy rope than the others, practicing his breath holding and meditating on the ocean floor 45 feet below the surface. His body was recovered later that evening on the surface near the dive site.

In 2001, Moriarity co-authored a book with Chris Gallagher entitled, The Ultimate Guide to Surfing. It was reported in March of 2010 that Curtis Hanson

Curtis Hanson

Curtis Lee Hanson is an American film director, film producer and screenwriter. His directing work includes The Hand That Rocks the Cradle , L.A...

 is directing film chronicling the life of Jay, with Sean Penn

Sean Penn

Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...

 in a supporting role. . But the final decision from Walden Media was that Gerard Butler will have the role.

Memorial surfing invitational

The Jay at Mavericks Big Wave Invitational is an annual big wave surfing event, part of the Big Wave World Tour. Held at Mavericks, it is one of the most respected big wave contests in the world. The contest is held between the months of December-February, depending on conditions. By invitation-only, the contest attracts the famous big wave surfers from all over the world. Invitees are given 48 hours notice before the contest is held. Known as "The Jay," the event's name is inspired the famous annual Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau

Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau—known as The Eddie— is a surfing tournament held at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Created in 1984 at Sunset, then changed to the infamous Waimea Bay where Aikau was a lifeguard and where he and his family were caretakers of the valley...

 at Waimea Bay, commonly known as "The Eddie." Moriarity also has an annual paddleboard race in his memory, the annual Jay Moriarity Paddle Race in Santa Cruz, from New Brighton Beach to Pleasure Point and back.

External links

• The Jay at Mavericks Big Wave Invitational