The man behind mazes in the Sunset Beach sand

September 19, 2023

Marion Caldwell,

Marion and The Maze Man

"You know who has to be the first one to do it don't you? You!" -Gibbes
Spiral Maze

Beachgoers enjoying Tuesday's maze
Sunset Beach Fitness Commission Work

Sunset Beach Fitness Commission Work, the Maze Man
Big Maze

Some big, some small, some easy, some more complex.
Sand Maze

Each maze is always different.
Multi-maze

Beachgoers try and solve the multi maze
The Maze Man

The Maze Man after completing a maze, Hunter Gibbes.

SUNSET BEACH, NC (WWAY)– One Brunswick County man is making Sunset Beach “a-MAZE-ing” with his ‘doodles’ in the sand.

“The maze man is…me. It’s a moniker that got established early on,” said Hunter Gibbes, The Sunset Beach Maze Man.

If you find yourself on Sunset Beach, you may have come across giant mazes carved in the sand, catching the attention of beachgoers young and old.

“Whether you participate in it, or just sit back and watch people do it, it’s fun to do and fun to watch, and it’s a good conversation piece,” said Gibbes.

Hunter Gibbes, better known as the Sunset Beach Maze Man, drifted away from friends after a long day at Sunset Beach back in 2005, and started doodling in the sand. After looking back at what he had drawn, this sparked a bigger and better idea.

“It eventually evolved into what I do today, now. It’s just been a lot of fun over the years to do,” said Gibbes.

With a wooden dowel, a couple of hose clamps attached to the end of a shovel, and “lots of practice and a little OCD” as Gibbes says, each maze is different. Taking anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to draw. Some bigger, some smaller, some easy, some more challenging, for all to enjoy.

“The struggle is complexity. Keeping it as complex as I can. As frustratingly fun for you, so I get to sit back and enjoy watching you all get through, get frustrated, but I’m still pulling for you because you can still get through and make it to the end,” said Gibbes.

This tradition has been one many Sunset Beach vacationers look forward to every year.

“People would come up and talk to me and tell me that I’m part of the conversation throughout the year, and especially on the way down for the next years vacation they would ask ‘I wonder if the Maze Man is going to be there’,” said Gibbes.

The “Maze Man” says that as long as the tide is going out, it’s not raining or super windy, and there’s enough room, he will probably be in the sand, drawing mazes.

The Maze Man makes the mazes on the east end of Sunset Beach in the 12th-13th Street boardwalk area.

He also does requests for anniversaries, proposals, birthdays, and even business advertisements inside the mazes.

You can find more about The Sunset Beach Maze Man on his Facebook page.