Mavericks is a surfing location in northern California about 2 miles (3 km) from shore outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of the town 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 crest at over 25 feet (8 m) and top out at over 60 feet (18 m). Routinely, waves that break can be recorded on the Richter Scale. The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation.