Here is the actual history, not what Jeff Clark or Riding Giants says is true.
In early March of 1961, three surfers, Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson,
and *** Knottmeyer, decided to try the distant waves off Pillar Point.
With them was a white-haired German Shepherd
named Maverick, owned by a roommate of Matienzo. Maverick was used to
swimming out with his owner, or with Matienzo, while they were out
surfing.
The trio left Maverick on shore, but he swam out and caught up with
them. Finding the conditions too unsafe for the dog, Matienzo paddled
back in and tied Maverick to the car bumper, before rejoining the
others. The riders had limited success that day, surfing the tail end
of the break and generally deeming the conditions too dangerous.
They decided to name the point after Maverick, who seemed to have
gotten the most out of the experience. It became known as "Maverick's
Point", and later simply "Maverick's".[1]
In the Special Features section of Riding Giants,
Jeff Clark is said to be the next person to surf Mavericks (1975)
mentioning that his junior high teacher used to refer to this distant
break as Mavericks.
I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.