Giant 64-Foot Wave: Mike Parsons at Jaws Beach, Hawaii.

Waves slammed into the beach at the Mavericks Surf Contest this morning, injuring at least 15 people and prompting organizers and local officials to block any more spectators from entering the area.

Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ari Delay said two or three people were taken to hospitals with injuries, the worst of which was a fracture. About 70 paramedics, law enforcement officers and fire officials remain at Mavericks Beach to manage the estimated crowd of 20,000 people.

Organizers decided to close the Half Moon Bay Airport parking lot to new arrivals at about 10 a.m., when the tide was at its highest, said Mavericks Surf Contest spokeswoman Katherine Clark. No more
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people are being allowed into the viewing area at Mavericks Beach, and those who leave will not be permitted to return. The most exposed area of the beach has been closed to the public with police barricades.

The structure on which the awards ceremony was going to be held was broken up by waves, so workers dismantled it. The winners will now be announced around 4 p.m. at the Oceana Hotel and Spa in Princeton.