Mavericks: Surfers from around the world take on huge waves in California

When a storm hits, most people like to hunker down indoors and let the wet and windy weather pass from the comfort of their own homes.

Not these surfers though - big wave surfers from around the world have raced to the sunshine state to tackle some of the biggest swells the area has seen in years.

Some of the waves are reaching the dizzying heights of 70ft (21 meters).

Surfers have travelled from Brazil, France and Portugal to Mavericks, a famous beach in San Francisco, to take on the huge waves.

But officials have warned people interested in watching to stay as far away as possible, as people have already been injured by the choppy seas.

The surfers who have made their way there will be vying for prize money from the Maverick Surf Awards.

This is a digital competition where surfers submit videos of their runs on Maverick Beach throughout the winter season, and the best ones get prizes.

Chris Cuvelier who runs the competition told BBC News on Friday that "people have been getting on flights all over the world" to surf the legendary spot this week.

Professional surfers, "especially people that surf Mavericks, they're big wave surfers and many of them are travelling around the globe to go catch big waves", he says.

But he's also warned that only the world's top professionals should even be attempting the massive waves: "Mavericks is kind of the biggest of the big here on the West Coast... I don't think any beginner or even intermediate surfers should really be surfing anywhere in California (in these conditions)."

The National Weather Service (NWS) in America warned of "extremely dangerous conditions" in the area, and noted that "powerful waves and life-threatening rip currents pose an exceptional risk of ocean drowning and damage to coastal structures".