Organizers of the Mavericks big-wave surf contest are engaged in discussions about holding the event Sunday.

The timing is unfortunate - 49ers fans don't need a reminder - but nearly three years have passed since the last contest off the coast of Half Moon Bay, and this weekend offers the strong possibility of perfect conditions.

A massive storm developed recently off Japan, creating a northwest swell scheduled to hit the Northern California coastline Saturday and peak Sunday. This is setting up to be the type of powerful, long-interval swell the Mavericks surfers have been waiting for, and the forecast is for mild weather, light easterly winds and a midafternoon low tide - right off the blueprint for an ideal day.

"Right now, we're thinking it's about an 80 percent chance we'll go," a contest spokesman said Tuesday night. "We could call it as early as 8 a.m. (Wednesday). If we need a longer look, we'll wait until Thursday."

The decision will be in the hands of a five-man committee consisting of Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark, head judge Gary Linden, retired Mavericks competitor Flea Virostko, forecaster Mark Sponsler and competitor Shawn Dollar, representing the 24-man field.

Perhaps it sounds crazy to stage any event in competition with the 49ers-Atlanta playoff game, with its noon start Sunday, but big-wave surfers are governed strictly by the ocean. "It's the call of Mother Nature," the spokesman said. "Nothing else matters to these guys. Let's call it Funday Sunday."

The beach at Pillar Point will be closed to the public and there will be no way to see the contest firsthand. The event will be shown on the Internet via webcast, and organizers have scheduled an all-day festival in the Princeton Harbor area where fans can meet the competitors and watch the action on large screens (details to come if the contest is a go).