The surf at Mavericks was at its most treacherous on Thursday, one of the biggest days of recent years. Conditions were far from ideal, and there was no talk of holding the annual big-wave contest at Half Moon Bay's fabled spot. One particular episode, however, got everyone's attention. The biggest waves were steaming in at some 50 feet on the face. It was a clear, relatively windless day, but the ocean was so chopped up from recent storms, very few surfers were out - and even fewer were willing to meet the challenge. One of them was Garrett McNamara, who...