Bay Area photographer's exhibit showcases big wave photos from Mavericks

“It’s literally like being in a dinosaur pen,” says Frank Quirarte, describing the feeling on the water at the annual Mavericks Challenge big wave surf competition. “You have no control over it. You just have to hope you don’t get hit by these waves. We’ve all been hit on the Jet Skis. It’s inevitable.”

But before we dive into the life-flashing-before-your-eyes underwater wipeout experience, the epic surf photographer casually mentions “just so you know, there’s a swell forming out there right now.”

He’s sworn to secrecy, but it’s hard not to get the hint when he says, “There might be something coming next week.”

Every year it goes down the same way. The Mavericks Challenge roster is announced in December - this year 24 men and 6 women. The competition window is laid out, this year from Jan. 3 to Feb. 28. And once the conditions are just right, depending on a confluence of weather, tides and waves - the call is made and everyone has 72 hours to make it to the break and vie for the $130,000 purse.

Quirarte has been both photographing and rescuing Mavericks surfers for the past 21 years at the big wave ?competition near Half Moon Bay. A former Air Force member who fought in Desert Storm, he likes to say, “you’re definitely going to war when you go into these big-wave sessions.”

This is the first year Mavericks is part of the World Surf League’s Big Wave Tour. As a member of the WSL Jet Ski rescue unit, when he’s not pulling surfers out of the drink, Quirarte is taking cover photos for Surfer magazine, trying to show the scope of tiny surfers dwarfed by monster waves stacked nearly seven stories high.

This past Monday, his new exhibit “Mavericks: Heavy Metal,” featuring nearly three dozen big wave photos printed on ?specially-coated aluminum sheets, opened at Coastal Arts League Gallery (coastside-artists.com) in Half Moon Bay and runs through Feb. 11.

Before this year’s Mavericks gets underway, the Pacifica native took time out to talk about patience, wipeouts and surfers chucking themselves over the ledge:

Q: Take me back to the early days of Mavericks, what was it like back then?

A: I remember in the mid ’90s, we used to go out on Jeff Clark’s Zodiac (inflatable boat). Back then, there was no money for much more than surfboards, so we had to tape that Zodiac together just to get it out there. By the time 1999 rolled around, you’d pull the starter and it would just come right out of the motor. That’s when I decided, I think I’m gonna switch to Jet Skis.

Q: What did you learn about the rescue side of things?

A: It’s all about patience and when you get in there, you can’t hesitate because it’s all risk management. You gotta make sure you don’t put you and the Jet Ski and the surfer and anybody else in harm’s way. You have to be confident you can make that rescue.

Q: What’s it like when you’re shooting photos of a surfer and you realize he just ate it?

A: With the big waves, that wipeout’s going to take a little while to play itself out. So there’s plenty of time to put your camera away. I have a little nest in the front compartment of the Jet Ski. I drop the camera in there. Then I’m moving in and it’s only like 30 seconds later. The wipeout’s still happening, because the guy’s going to get held down and drug in. Sometimes he can get held down for two waves. Then you have to predict where he’ll come up. And sometimes there are three or four guys out there and you have to choose which guy is the most deep.

Q: What kind of conversations do you have with these guys after you save their lives? I imagine they’re pretty grateful.

A: They are. I’ve made a lot of friends that’s for sure. Some of them I didn’t even know. It’s funny, we don’t think much of it. It’s just our way of giving back. Then like six months down the road, you’ll get an email or a call from them after they’ve had a chance to process it. Especially with the older guys. The young guys are just chucking themselves over the ledge, but the older guys are starting to contemplate their mortality.

Q: How did you get involved in surf photography?

A: When I first started going out at Mavericks, it was just for fun. I was a board caddy for Jeff Clark and Grant Washburn. I would drive the Zodiac and bring my lunch and watch the show. Jeff had a junky camera and I would take pictures. The magazine would always call Jeff up to see who was out there. They’d ask, “Is your friend Frank shooting?” And he would say, “No, he’s not really a photographer.” They’d say, “Well get him a camera, let’s get him shooting. He’s out there every time.” I bought a camera from one of the local video stores and I basically learned from the other photographers. You know, train the monkey, press this button, this is how you do this. I started getting shots and learned that way.

Q: What advice would you have for someone getting into surf photography?

A: Stay in school. Become a doctor. It’s hard because there are so many photographers out there today. We came in during the glory years –– no digital cameras or anything. Nowadays, there are so many people shooting. The magazines are going by the wayside and you only get a small amount of money from websites and zines. I’d say if you’re gonna do it, do it as a fun hobby. But definitely get another job.