Each winter, the Mavericks big-wave surf contest is held in Half Moon Bay, California, with surfers and fans alike getting only a day’s notice when the swells are right. For years I’ve hoped I’d take the day off and drive a few miles down the coast to watch the crazy huge waves, but I’ve never managed to get it together.

This year, for the first time, the entire contest will be streamed live for free, so everyone near and far will be able to tune in. Rad. It’ll be on both CBS Sportsline and the official Mavericks site, and judging by the current video on those sites, it’ll be in Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and Flash. (Last year Mavericks footage was available for $9.99 on MediaZone.) Stay tuned…it could be anytime over the next two months.