100 Foot Wave (2021) s01e05 Episode Script
The Circus
You can look back on the history
and you can interview a lot of people
and they're gonna tell you about
this notion of the 100-foot wave.
- The 100-foot wave.
- 100-foot wave.
- 100-foot wave.
- The 100-foot wave.
The 100-foot wave.
If people wonder where that concept
came from,
I'm gonna tell you right now,
it was me.
I sproposed that idea as one of my many
projects over the years. It was laughed
at first but then people went, there
are 100-foot waves. Maybe bigger.
When Garrett rode the giant wave
in 2011,
it was clearly the World Record biggest
wave that had been ridden.
It just came out of left field.
It was such a shocker for everyone
throughout the surfing world
big waves they come in Hawaii, on the
West Coast, not in the Atlantic.
But lo and behold the biggest waves
in the world are there in Nazaré.
Seeing Garrett ride these waves
resonated with people
watching a tiny little surfer conning
down this massive wave and then
ygoing past this ancient structure
that's been there since the 1500s.
You couldn't have made that up.
And there are giant waves starting in
October all winter long,
every three days.
It's just the most amazing wave factory
that exists on the planet.
One of the most, if not the most famous
surf spot in the world right now.
But any surfer who's been involved in
the pioneering of a big wave break
can't help but feel
some kind of ownership to it.
It's got to be difficult for Garrett
to see this starlet he discovered
sort of dating other handsome dudes.
But that's just the way that things go.
Check out these monster 100-foot waves
off Portugal.
The biggest wave ever surfed.
As high as 100 feet.
To put it in perspective, that is
taller than an 8-story building.
Surfers are always
looking for the next great thing.
It often breaks those brave or
crazy board riders.
Severe white routes
and waves of mind boggling heights.
What happens here,
happens nowhere else in the world.
The biggest wave ever surfed.
The biggest wave ever. A 100-foot wave.
100 Foot Wave
Chapter 5
The Circus
Nazaré, Portugal
2019 Season 10
No one would have had Portugal
on their top ten list of
water sports destinations
ten years ago. But now
yevery important big wave surfer
goes there,
late October, early November, to train.
And now the women with Maya
and Justine, it's really becoming
a much more diverse time
in Big Wave surfing.
Maya came very early on.
She had a very bad experience
and overcame the traumatic experience
and became the most determined, the
most focused big wave surfing woman.
I had a pretty guilty feeling
after the accident
of wanting something too bad
that it almost killed me.
If you ask me
what made me come back,
I didn't want the accident to shape
the rest of my life.
January 18th, 2018.
We went out really early.
It was super cold.
All the waves were especially big
and I knew that if I rode a wave
that day
it was
probably be a world record for a woman.
And when it came I just knew it.
I knew the wave had a lot of potential.
I knew there was a lot of water moving.
I knew that I didn't want to fall.
When I see that video,
I can barely believe it's me.
That wave got me
the woman's world record.
She ended up with the world record and
I was so stoked.
For a while she was the only girl
trying to charge.
And then Justine came along
and they're both just amazing, amazing
athletes.
In big wave surfing the girls are just
as capable as the guys.
Justine is one of the standout surfers
in Nazaré.
Paddle, tow-in, stand up, short board.
She's amazing at all of it.
She brought some of the biggest waves
that are out there this year.
I surf because I just love it.
That's all.
To me surfing a wave is about being
present and being alive.
To me there isn't a question of gender
between being a man or a woman surfer.
You are seen as a surfer
and seen by
the way you behave. It's that simple.
I was happy when I first got here to
see Maya.
She didn't ask herself if another woman
had gone to Nazaré before her.
This was the first place I felt
not judged by me being a woman
in the water.
This small community, nobody cared that
I was a woman. Which is
not something I can say about
Hawaii, and other places.
I was accepted as I am. It didn't
matter if I was a woman or a man.
I had my own surf technique.
So I was respected because
they saw me as a good surfer.
What she does and the commitment
she has in everything she does
It's amazing.
I have Fred with me at all times.
He is a fish in the sea.
He is a lifeguard and a professional
bodysurfer.
It's great having my boyfriend,
my partner,
my love with me in the water.
I chose to live my life with these
big waves in Nazaré for now.
Yes I'd love to catch a giant wave
and I think every surfer that comes to
Nazaré shares the same desire.
More than 20,000 flashes of lightning
were recorded
as the storm raged throughout Saturday
and into Sunday.
Rain warnings in effect for pretty much
all of Portugal at this time.
In addition to this,
the red surf warning in effect
for some of those coastal areas.
Night before the swell
Come see what we're getting tomorrow.
It's a rare one.
Huge and coming right at us.
That's sick. It's the entire ocean.
I have faith that it'll be here
by the afternoon.
That's tight, eh?
I'm kinda feeling
like I might catch a wave.
It's so clean. Why wouldn't I?
Because you had a foot operation
like six weeks ago.
Yeah but when I'm flat footed,
it's fine.
Just don't put it back. It's not even
halfway through the winter.
Morning of the swell
I remember kind of thinking it still
might be possible the whole time.
And I almost was gonna surf.
I was in my hotel room
and I was looking in the mirror,
talking to myself,
trying to figure it out.
Playing through
the different scenarios.
Is that a Patagonia suit?
I felt confident about driving
and putting Cotty and CJ on waves.
But I didn't feel confident
about taking a big wipeout.
I'm just doing my best to stay calm
and patient.
I'm feeling like we should be at the
Harbor going into the water already.
But it doesn't matter, I'm not surfing.
Do you get nervous?
Oh yeah.
I probably get more nervous about the
fact that it's CJ instead of Garrett.
There's a really perfect, clean swell.
The kind of days that I really look
forward to surfing here in Nazaré.
I'm gonna put CJ
on the wave of his life today.
The only one you want is you want this,
or you want this.
This one to come right here
in the middle. Then this one's hollow.
I'd say there are going to be at least
30 skis out there
so it's going to be pretty crowded.
This is actually the best it's been
looking.
Look at that, that looks fucking nice.
Once we've realized Garrett's foot was
messed up and he wasn't gonna surf,
it kind of put Garrett, Cotty and I
all in our own versions
of what's going on here, as opposed to;
okay boom, we're all on the same page.
We're healthy, we all want this wave.
The three of us were in different
places, you know?
Me with minor injuries
still looking to surf.
Garrett like really taking a step back
and Cotty like rearing, ready to go.
- What are you thinking?
- Don't know really.
Cotty reminds me a lot of myself
as far as his desires and his focus.
It's nice to see him so hungry.
It would be nice to get him
what he's looking for.
- Are you excited?
- Sort of. Nervous, you know?
- It looks like the magic day.
- Yep.
You're excited but nervous.
This was the biggest swell that came
through this season, so far.
It was Garrett's first time really
driving since the foot injury, and
we were ready for a giant wave
to come through.
We're going to offer this to the ocean
in thanks and gratitude and also
asking her permission to keep us safe
and protect all of us.
That we can all stay present
and just soak it all up.
Be in our bodies
and have some good experiences.
- Everything cool?
- Yes. Hi.
Okay, so we're all linked up now.
Is everybody good?
- Does anybody need anything?
- All good.
When I got back on the waves
I definitely felt a big uprising
in competitive energy.
Just with all the people up there.
It's a circus out there now.
Everyone's there. Ready to go.
Wanting to push the limits, wanting to
catch the biggest wave ever.
Look at what you've created.
It's kind of surreal
looking back to how good
we had it when we learned about it.
Now there is 20-30 jet skis.
Who's to blame?
Us?
You're a victim of your own success.
This is the first time that I'm surfing
Nazaré in six years and
I definitely have that feeling of
the new kid in school.
All these pros, everyone I see
in all the videos and everything.
They don't know who I am and I'm just
kinda Garrett's sidekick.
And then there's the other side of that
too, the Portuguese people especially,
they would remind me.
No you're the original.
You were here with Garrett
for the first time.
So that's good too because
I need to learn to
claim my moment.
Claim what's rightfully mine,
you know?
And if it's just one glorious wave at
Nazaré amidst all these people
it's like no, I can get one too.
- Nicole, you up in here?
- Yeah.
We're in between first and second peak
way outside the furthest out.
A little outside,
you might add one that swings in.
I'm basically trying to get one wave
and get the biggest wave that I can.
And I see this big set come through.
I'm like man, that's the one.
Garrett puts me on the right way up
the beach
and I go on this thing
and I'm like lining up
and I drop down
and I'm just flying so fast
and it's bumping so hard
and I'm barely staying on.
I feel like I'm fighting to stay on.
You fall off you're like
with no breath for a while.
And that's a very scary thought.
End up making it out and there's
a bigger wave behind it.
Massive, it comes and picks me up.
I like get the board on,
get on the sled
and he was flying out of there.
That was CJ,
he gets out and I put him on the sled.
We got down there really quick
and the board came out from under him.
So his board is on the beach
and I'm not sure how we can get it.
I was pretty happy
that my board washed in.
And I kinda couldn't surf any other
waves because
it was pretty terrifying.
I felt pretty unstable
going that fast with those bumps,
flying down that wave.
I was like oh my god, am I like ready
for this right now?
And I didn't really feel like
I was too ready for it.
So it freaked me out actually,
quite a bit.
That was a big ass wave.
- Which one?
- Yours.
It was, huh?
It felt big. Couldn't tell.
- How'd it feel?
- Weird, it was bumpy.
I'm questioning and doubting.
Like what am I doing?
What am I doing?
Is it really that fun
trying to be out there and surf these
50-60
we're talking about 100-foot wave,
is it that fun?
Not really.
So I'm thinking, what am I doing?
I'm out there risking my life
for what?
What if 200-foot waves existed
on the planet? Good ones.
Are we gonna be out there
trying to surf 'em?
Where do we draw the line?
How was the feeling about the teams?
There was a lot of people with jet skis
and
I kind of liked it, it was nice.
The waves are being surfed all over
the place.
Usually there's a lot of waves
not being ridden,
and it's fun to watch everybody ride.
People on the cliff are happy.
I've surfed enough waves out here,
it's fun to watch people now.
Earlier that day
Let's take a trip to Portugal
with some impressive images.
It's a French surfer that rode
one of the world's biggest waves.
Yes, her name is Justine Dupont.
She is 28 years old.
And she surfed the biggest wave
of her life.
Yesterday something extraordinary
happened.
There was a very big swell.
And I surfed a crazy wave.
Frankly, by far,
the most beautiful wave of my life.
The perspective to be able to see
the wave and the way the shadow was.
You know, it's amazing.
Yeah she scored this wave with a bunch
of dudes out there,
and somehow she got that wave at the
bottom of the day and just charged it.
It was one of the best shots
I ever filmed.
Laurent was in the water shooting
the wave.
And I was driving the jetski.
We really got away from the beginning
until the end.
And everything you want
it's on the footage.
That was the best one today.
It's an interesting world.
Surfers and surf photographers.
It's a very codependent relationship
because really you can't have
a surf photographer
without a professional surfer
and you can't be a surfer if you
don't have a photographer.
If you want to go out and surf for
fun Photographers aren't necessary.
But if you want to surf for a living
you've got to document
most of the things you do.
And in the world of cinematography
and the ocean
Mike Prickett
has been at the forefront.
My name is Mike Prickett
and I'm a surf cinematographer
from the North Shore of Hawaii.
I've been doing this,
jeez for almost 40 years.
Since 1979 I think I started.
Mike Prickett is one of the greatest
surf cinematographers in history.
Mike was always at the top of his game,
he was always the guy
you wanted working with you.
He's a legend in the community
swimming out in the biggest days of surf
with these
massive camera rigs on his shoulder.
Basically almost any film that
you've seen that's water work
to just any surf movie
Mike has shot. But Mike has gone
through some tough times.
He had a horrific accident in Tahiti.
I went to Tahiti to do a commercial,
and I saw a diver that was in trouble,
that got stuck in a down current.
So I went down to rescue him. When I
got to him he was 220 feet under water.
He had no air.
He was in a complete panic,
his eyes were this big.
I was trying to get him to calm down
because he was hyperventilating.
But as I was bringing him
to the surface
I could feel the air starting get lower
we were going to run out of air soon.
We had no choice
but to make an emergency ascent.
We broke through the surface
and we didn't even make a safety stop.
Within a matter of moments
he was already passed out.
Due to getting the bends.
The bends are bubbles in your blood. So
the bubbles went into my spinal cord.
On March 14th I was injured
in a dive accident in Tahiti
and paralyzed from the waist down.
And
the doctor says I have about six months
before I plateau off of my recovery.
Yeah I got six months to see
if I can ever walk again. We'll see.
It's been quite a while
since that happened.
I was in a wheelchair. I don't really
bring my wheel chair with me.
I just force myself to hobble around
and I torture all my friends
to go slow walking with me,
because I take forever.
Yeah they don't care. They're like ah,
come on pick it up, crippled guy.
Slowly, through the physical therapy
he's able to move his legs.
He still has no feeling on them but
he's walking around with crutches now,
I took a slow road to recovery
but yeah that's kind of what happened.
Let's go and get in position.
We shoot a regular surfing shot in the
shoulder of the waves right now.
And then after that
we'll try and track one.
I'm going to tow Cotty on a couple of
waves.
We're going to move over to second,
third peak away from the surfers.
Here we go. Rolling.
Garrett is pulling
Cotty down a wave.
And we're looking at Cotty
and he's going right.
Yup. We got it.
I've been here a long time doing
footage on the jetski with a go-pro.
This is the future.
Everything looks good.
To see Mike come back
and continue to do amazing
both technically and artistically
Is just an absolute inspiration.
I was elected Mayor
on the 29th of September 2013.
When I came to the citadel,
the Nazaré Project had already
fulfilled some of its goals
and we needed to open up Nazaré
to other surfers, to spread the word.
And within that vision for me,
it was mandatory to have a world
surf league event every year.
October 30, 2019
Nazaré Tow Challenge Announcement
Through the work of Garrett and
through the work also of the ladies,
we celebrate this event here.
We've been showcasing the world
that the big waves
making sure that my dream
and the dream of a lot of people
in Nazaré is maintained
through the years.
It's good to see. Good to see.
I'm really excited about the Nazaré
tow challenge.
Yes I'm really excited about the Nazaré
tow challenge. It's
again it's another opportunity to
compete on the world stage.
Looking for the perfect conditions.
I want to be actually surfing
and not surviving.
Big wave surfing events
generally have a window that
will run a certain number of months.
The Nazaré tow Surfing Challenge
started November 1
and ran through the end of February.
So we have four months to wait for
just the right combination of
all the elements to come together.
Calling the day for a big wave event
is probably one of the most complex
things you can
possibly do
in the sporting world by a mile.
The Super Bowl
I can tell you five years from now
exactly what day and hour
the kickoff is.
In big waves, it's just not like that.
There's gonna be a day at some point
in the next four months
and we'll tell you
three days in advance.
You are constantly monitoring
the local weather, the tide,
the exact direction of the swell.
You never know totally for sure.
But you have that pressure of saying,
look, we're going to run an event.
We're going to have a hundred people
from around the world fly in.
We're gonna spend between the events
and the prize money and the broadcast
probably not far off a million dollars.
So when that perfect storm does come,
you don't want to blow it.
February 2020
Three months
after contest announcement.
On February 8th
the WSL announced that
he Nazaré Tow Challenge would be held
on February 11th.
The clock was ticking away
with an amazing crew of decision makers
of the world surf league and especially
the local crew there at Nazaré
were able to just take what we knew
about every other storm that's coming
in the last six or seven years
and study it and look for the one that
had all the right components.
February 11th was going to be easily
the best day of the year.
They reached out and I said yes,
it looks amazing.
There's definitely a swell.
It seems to be big enough. And I
believe the waves will be there.
It's pretty cool, exactly what we had
envisioned and focused on
and plan from this place from the day
we showed up
is now actually happening.
And Cotty's got a spo.
I got a spot but I'm I don't
I'm not gonna
but I am keeping a wildcard spot
so that if I'm better and it is
the 100-foot day then I'll surf it.
What's up?
How are you? I'm getting excited
for you, for this year.
- I'll definitely be ready to drive.
- Yeah?
I'm 100% ready to be on the cliff and
orchestrating, that would be fun too.
- I think that could be more valuable.
- More valuable, huh?
But you'll be freaking out
When I watched from the cliff
I couldn't do it.
- Couldn't do it.
- It freaks me out.
Because you want to be in the water.
Well you want to be in the water,
but also from that different angle
it looks so much more gnarlier
than from the beach at times.
- Alright, love you.
- Right. I'll speak to you in a bit.
Love you buddy.
When Garrett was starting to talk about
the tow contest and everything,
I felt like I had no business being
in it at all.
It just felt way out of my league
honestly.
All these surfers have had an extra
six years experiencing surfing Nazaré,
when I haven't even been around.
Yeah, it was hardly even on my radar
to be a competitor in that.
So I didn't come for the second half of
the season just because
I didn't feel ready.
And also, I had another opportunity,
a thing that arose that was
more what I was supposed to be doing,
which was going deeper into healing.
I flew down to Peru for two weeks.
This tribe has created this little
village center there
for people to come and experience
the medicine of the jungle.
The diet is two meals a day
and then at nighttime,
dinner is drinking Ayahuasca.
So I went there
looking for some healing,
looking for some answers and clarity
on life.
And I've gotten so much growth and
learning from that experience.
As I'm getting clearer on
what all this means
and what's important to myself,
I'm finding more respect
and a different kind of drive
for pushing these limits
and surfing this giant wave.
I feel better about the quest now
for this hundred-foot wave
and I don't feel rushed at all
about it.
It's gonna come when it comes.
With the contest on and stuff it's not
been the most straightforward of years.
I've been surfing with Garrett
for the last 8, 9 years
and obviously
Garrett's been injured.
So I've been partnered with Tom Butler
from the UK.
- You wearing gloves?
- No, I'll probably regret that.
- Regret that?
- Yeah.
I've been putting in the time with Tom
we have to then build our connection
together. We've got to compete.
I'm fortunate to have Tom because he
was one of the early guys at Nazaré.
The WSL tow challenge is being watched
all around the world.
News crews are coming from all around
the world and that's pressure.
But it didn't take too long
and we were getting quite comfortable.
We believed in ourselves.
Cotty's excited, hungry, wants it,
he's been training for it all year.
He's got a good partner
and they're ready.
But they'll also have some serious
competition.
Grab the keys.
How's it going? Good to see you.
Can I feel your board?
- Do you like them that weight?
- Oh it's just for because it's small.
I have my heavy ones for tomorrow
and the next day.
- How heavy?
- Ten kilos. Yeah.
Is this one you were doing
on the flip side? Sick.
That's the guy to watch, Kai Lenny.
He does every discipline in the water,
he's the best at everything.
He does 360s and lands it,
and it's amazing.
So I think he's the best guy to watch.
He's an up comer.
Now that Garrett's discovered this
wave, Kai's going to rip it apart.
If you need anything while you're here
please let me know.
- Thanks, G Mac. Maybe some tips.
- I'll get tips from you.
Big wave surfing definitely has its
old guard and its new guard
and Garrett's the ultimate example of
the old guard.
The new guard is perfectly represented
by Kai Lenny.
He's like a once in a generation freak.
He's just progressing more rapidly than
any surfer in history.
Big wave surfing probably will never be
the same after Kai Lenny.
I mean the things that he's doing.
Garrett isn't gonna be doing that.
I don't see CJ doing that,
I don't see Cotty doing that.
Big wave surfing ebbs and flows with
popularity.
Someone like Garrett has gone through
the highs and the lows of the sport.
I think as far as progression
goes within the sport,
it's gonna keep on going places
no one ever thought was possible.
My towing partner for the Nazaré
challenge is Lucas Chumbo.
When Lucas and I decided to team up,
he in my eyes was the most progressive
big wave surfer.
He's really pushing the level at Nazaré
with giant barrels and giant airs
and big maneuvers.
And I wanted to be partnered with
somebody that
I had a huge amount of respect for,
and who I thought was actually better
than me.
- Mr. McNamara!
- How you doing? Good to see you.
Lucas is somebody to focus on.
This is the blow.
When I got here in Nazaré
I feel so much at home,
or I feel so comfortable here.
At my home I'm doing what I love.
And for sure I'm in the best place
to do what I love.
What's up guys? Did you get a couple?
- We didn't see you in yesterday.
- Yeah, a day out of the wet suit.
You know what time I finished?
2:00 AM to clean the ski.
I'm done today. I need to rest.
I loved it actually when I came first
time to Nazaré,
I didn't have any sponsor.
Then two years after I got this sponsor
from Red Bull
and this is was a dream for me
and now I have my locker.
I want to thank you for coming to the
inaugural Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge.
This is an event that for a lot of us
has been a lifetime in preparation for.
A real opportunity to showcase the
state of the art big wave surfing.
When we get up to make the record,
nobody go to the light house
on that day.
Imagine the difference between
that day and now.
I imagine this is the first time
you've come back to Nazaré
since you had the accident?
Oh no, no. That was like years ago now.
Do people think you're a bit like mad
that you're coming back after that?
Nah because if it was that horrendous
then I wouldn't want to do it again.
And I never thought I was gonna drown
or die, so it's just an injury.
- Cheers man.
- Thank you, you're very kind.
Being constantly reminded
about the wipeout
we can't take too seriously.
It's just part of it,
getting the exposure as well.
I could have made that wave and
could've been the best of my life.
But probably no one would have ever
seen it.
It's like a double-edged sword of what
people want to see.
I've been doing the big wave tour for
20 years now
and the everyone wants to win
ride of the year.
The award you don't want to win
is the wipeout of the year.
One of the hall of fame moments was
Andrew Cotton at Nazaré
getting a little trophy that affirms
yours was the best wipeout of the year
maybe took a little bit of the sting
out of it.
Been trying to win an XXL Award
for my whole career
and then I win one
for a bloody wipeout.
The irony is that
this is so typical.
I don't think there's any question that
people love a good wipeout.
Just from pure statistics,
I just know how many views the wipeouts
get versus the biggest paddle wave.
It's just not even close.
As long as they come out of it okay,
it's just an epic fail.
The five best wipeouts will be enjoyed
more than the one skillful ride
because most people looking
at it don't know the difference.
The waves are supposed
to be good tomorrow too, right?
- Yeah.
- Are you going to surf tomorrow?
My foot's not really ready
for this kind of stuff.
It's not worth it to go out there and
hurt my foot and big old swell comes.
That's true.
- I miss you so much right now.
- I miss you.
These are the times I just want to get
on a plane.
Oahu, Hawaii
I stay home sometimes
but it's all a blur.
Nicole McNamara,
Garrett's wife/Manager
Motherhood is a blur.
I caught one.
Garrett had a lot of work to do,
so sometimes it's easier for Garrett to
go and just get the work done,
then for the whole family to go
and us
Go do bubbles!
Without my family around
there's a lot of time to think
and so I'm thinking there
and ah I could do the contest.
One wave is all I need, one big wave.
A hundred footer comes, I'll be out
there and it will probably come to me.
So I was thinking, yeah,
I think I want to surf it.
Three days ago I went out there
and after I drove around
and felt my foot and felt the chops
and checked into my body and
realized that if I fell
I probably wouldn't come home.
And I was actually getting scared.
Letting fear enter my mind.
I have no business out here,
and I want nothing to do with this.
Garrett's mentioned the fear. I don't
think it's so much fear of the waves
but fear of the pain that he felt
with his shoulder.
I don't think he's afraid of dying,
if you die you're not in pain.
His is like just feeling that pain
again and depression.
I do feel that it would have been
amazing to surf.
But I didn't want to push it.
I wasn't ready.
Two Days Before Contest
I've been on the walkie for a minute
or two here and there.
Never really was a spotter.
I've always been interested in doing it
because I want to see what the people
are watching when they're spotting
and how they're sharing with us what
they see and where they want us to go.
I think we'll have a good practice with
Cotty. I think it will work out.
It's gonna be interesting,
something new for me.
Cotty, you guys out there?
Yeah just getting out just getting up
to the lineup. How's it looking?
Do you want to wait for the sets or
just go for anything?
I think at the moment we are happy
to wait for some sets.
It just feels different trying to
see which way they should go for.
This peak here?
I can't see where you guys are.
Second third peak,
Shit wait, wait, wait.
Definitely some waves on the outside.
Hang tight right where you are.
Second beat, second beat, run over
there, go get it, go get it, go, go.
He's gone, he's going, he's going.
He made it, holy shit, amazing.
Wow that was a heat winner.
This is gonna be the greatest show in
surfing. There's no doubt about it.
Yeah boys, you guys are already here.
That was too fast.
I thought it was gonna eat you. Yeah.
You cranked it so hard, the whitewater
was coming, I was like oh, he's done.
I was about to say, down, down.
And then
To have Garrett in your corner, like,
it's a dream isn't it?
Well if someone said to me like,
10 years ago.
Oh you know you're gonna be in the
Duracell Nazaré Challenge
and Garrett's going to be on the radio
calling the shots.
I never, ever in a million years
I would think that it's possible.
Garrett was just
someone you saw
in magazines and movies.
Not somebody who Facetimes you
at 6:00 in the morning.
- Hello. Hey!
- Hey.
Hi there!
- Did it get smaller?
- No, it's good sized.
There's gonna be some good waves
and it was really beautiful today.
Guess what I got a taste of today?
I have so much more
understanding and I guess I should say
respect for spotting.
Because I spotted today on the cliff
for practice.
It's hard to tell
which wave's gonna be the wave.
Yeah it's really hard.
As soon as they came I scored them
the sickest wave right out the gate
and it worked perfect.
And then they got another good one
and then it was tough.
You guys gotta win this thing.
Yeah I know.
Well we're set, aren't we?
Oh it's nice and warm in here,
it's so cold.
Thank you so much for bringing this.
Sorry to put that on you.
Good to see you.
- So you guys have a meeting at Linos?
- Yeah, yeah.
- What kind of a meeting?
- Safety and then
What is the safety plan? Did they
have one ski delegated to each team?
Some people weren't happy.
There was only like
2 or 3 really good
safety guides out of the 5.
That doesn't seem good at all.
Those safety skis are gonna be on the
beach so fast when they lose their ski.
- And you're happy with that?
- No, but what can you do really.
I think it's gonna be as safe
as it can be, you know?
- Let me call Bill.
- Alright, thanks very much.
It's just things can go wrong so quick.
You can have two skis down in a second.
All of a sudden everyone's on two skis
and there's still three skis surfing.
- Garrett?
- Bill.
I was talking to Cotty about
the safety, it sounded really, really
scary to me
what you guys got in place.
We're about to have another meeting
on it,
it's been basically an outgrowth
that we all talked about.
It's the last meeting, if you want to
come and chime in, it's coming up.
If I was in the event I would want
to I would say more,
but since I'm not, I don't really feel
like it's my place to say anything.
Either join in or wait and see
whatever we come up with.
- Alright, bye bye.
- Bye, bye.
Garrett is like a lot of us,
he'll be
a team player when it suits him,
and he'll be an independent
when it suits him.
And he and I and a lot of other people
have had times where
we've clashed and it's gotten weird.
His vision has not always matched
everyone else's.
We are heading to the safety meeting
for the contest.
This is gonna be super big, super
gnarly, it's got to be super safe.
Cameras were not allowed
in the safety meeting.
So I was concerned about the safety,
and I show up at this meeting.
And they're not having a shadow follow.
It wasn't mandatory for each team
to have a shadow.
And I spoke very blunt
about what I felt.
Without your backup safety,
it's very unsafe and good luck.
Alemao Edilson Luis Da Assunçao
WSL Nazaré Challenge Safety Driver
I thought that the safety measures of
the WSL Nazaré Tow-in Challenge,
I think that without a doubt, they were
the best possible measures.
They had a very solid team.
Garrett didn't agree.
For me it was hard to interpret
Garrett's position in a negative way.
Garrett has always been like that.
He always worries.
It's not the first time.
It's not just because the WSL event.
Because he knows the importance
and the difficulty of being
a safety driver in Nazaré.
It was important that you have
veterans like Garrett McNamara
who are pushing the safety side,
especially in competition.
Because it's easy to get clouded in
the fog of competitive surfing
and you forget about the basics
and the stuff that's most important.
A lot of preparation went into having
a safety plan in place for that event.
A lot of really qualified people are
working on it.
We had 15 jet skis dedicated to rescue.
If everyone knows what they're doing
and sticks to their assignment,
it provides a pretty good safety net
for everyone.
Hopefully they'll understand
what I was sharing with them,
I really hope the best for everybody.
I hope everybody comes home.
February 11, 2020
Morning of Nazaré Tow Challenge
For the Nazaré tow surfing challenge
every important big wave surfer
from Brazil,
from Hawaii, California, whatever.
Everyone's there.
It's an honor to surf the tow challenge
representing Brazil.
To me,
it's priceless to be able to put on
a jersey with your country's colors.
To see this place,
have a professional towing contest.
This is something maybe I dreamed
about, I'm not even sure.
But I'm very proud that we have myself
and Justine at the level that I think
we'll do something and
we'll catch waves
and we'll represent and we'll put on
a show hopefully.
It's quite a unique spectacle.
And whenever we run an event
the world has its eyes on us.
It's amazing in two years how excited
people have gotten over this wave.
You're gonna see thousands of people
covering the cliffs.
It's just like you're going to
the Super Bowl of surfing.
Blessed with great traditions
and a big swell in the water.
Garrett is in the studio alongside me.
Garrett McNamara,
how are you feeling about today?
I'm excited. I can't wait to see these
guys out there giving it their best
and it's gonna be a great show.
We are expecting
some epic performances.
Forty or fifty of the world's best big
wave surfers all pushing the limits.
This is gonna be awesome.
There are the teams. You look down
towards Chianca and Lenny,
a lot of buzz, a lot of hype, those
guys have taken tow to the next level.
Those are gonna be the two standouts.
These guys are gonna bring a whole
different look to riding big waves.
Yeah they're definitely a force to be
reckoned with.
Every time I do a competition, I want
to get the best waves of my life.
And if those are the best waves
of my life,
than they should win the competition.
Not many people have spent more time
out here than Andrew Cotton.
How do you fancy their chances?
Everybody loves Cotty.
He's hungry and he wants it.
I'm really excited to see them get
action in their heat.
This is it. If I'm gonna do it,
I'm gonna be in it to win it.
I was just super hyped up
from the event.
The big wave surf competition.
It could be life-changing.
Everyone wants the same thing,
that wave that's gonna make a trip
and change your life.
and you can interview a lot of people
and they're gonna tell you about
this notion of the 100-foot wave.
- The 100-foot wave.
- 100-foot wave.
- 100-foot wave.
- The 100-foot wave.
The 100-foot wave.
If people wonder where that concept
came from,
I'm gonna tell you right now,
it was me.
I sproposed that idea as one of my many
projects over the years. It was laughed
at first but then people went, there
are 100-foot waves. Maybe bigger.
When Garrett rode the giant wave
in 2011,
it was clearly the World Record biggest
wave that had been ridden.
It just came out of left field.
It was such a shocker for everyone
throughout the surfing world
big waves they come in Hawaii, on the
West Coast, not in the Atlantic.
But lo and behold the biggest waves
in the world are there in Nazaré.
Seeing Garrett ride these waves
resonated with people
watching a tiny little surfer conning
down this massive wave and then
ygoing past this ancient structure
that's been there since the 1500s.
You couldn't have made that up.
And there are giant waves starting in
October all winter long,
every three days.
It's just the most amazing wave factory
that exists on the planet.
One of the most, if not the most famous
surf spot in the world right now.
But any surfer who's been involved in
the pioneering of a big wave break
can't help but feel
some kind of ownership to it.
It's got to be difficult for Garrett
to see this starlet he discovered
sort of dating other handsome dudes.
But that's just the way that things go.
Check out these monster 100-foot waves
off Portugal.
The biggest wave ever surfed.
As high as 100 feet.
To put it in perspective, that is
taller than an 8-story building.
Surfers are always
looking for the next great thing.
It often breaks those brave or
crazy board riders.
Severe white routes
and waves of mind boggling heights.
What happens here,
happens nowhere else in the world.
The biggest wave ever surfed.
The biggest wave ever. A 100-foot wave.
100 Foot Wave
Chapter 5
The Circus
Nazaré, Portugal
2019 Season 10
No one would have had Portugal
on their top ten list of
water sports destinations
ten years ago. But now
yevery important big wave surfer
goes there,
late October, early November, to train.
And now the women with Maya
and Justine, it's really becoming
a much more diverse time
in Big Wave surfing.
Maya came very early on.
She had a very bad experience
and overcame the traumatic experience
and became the most determined, the
most focused big wave surfing woman.
I had a pretty guilty feeling
after the accident
of wanting something too bad
that it almost killed me.
If you ask me
what made me come back,
I didn't want the accident to shape
the rest of my life.
January 18th, 2018.
We went out really early.
It was super cold.
All the waves were especially big
and I knew that if I rode a wave
that day
it was
probably be a world record for a woman.
And when it came I just knew it.
I knew the wave had a lot of potential.
I knew there was a lot of water moving.
I knew that I didn't want to fall.
When I see that video,
I can barely believe it's me.
That wave got me
the woman's world record.
She ended up with the world record and
I was so stoked.
For a while she was the only girl
trying to charge.
And then Justine came along
and they're both just amazing, amazing
athletes.
In big wave surfing the girls are just
as capable as the guys.
Justine is one of the standout surfers
in Nazaré.
Paddle, tow-in, stand up, short board.
She's amazing at all of it.
She brought some of the biggest waves
that are out there this year.
I surf because I just love it.
That's all.
To me surfing a wave is about being
present and being alive.
To me there isn't a question of gender
between being a man or a woman surfer.
You are seen as a surfer
and seen by
the way you behave. It's that simple.
I was happy when I first got here to
see Maya.
She didn't ask herself if another woman
had gone to Nazaré before her.
This was the first place I felt
not judged by me being a woman
in the water.
This small community, nobody cared that
I was a woman. Which is
not something I can say about
Hawaii, and other places.
I was accepted as I am. It didn't
matter if I was a woman or a man.
I had my own surf technique.
So I was respected because
they saw me as a good surfer.
What she does and the commitment
she has in everything she does
It's amazing.
I have Fred with me at all times.
He is a fish in the sea.
He is a lifeguard and a professional
bodysurfer.
It's great having my boyfriend,
my partner,
my love with me in the water.
I chose to live my life with these
big waves in Nazaré for now.
Yes I'd love to catch a giant wave
and I think every surfer that comes to
Nazaré shares the same desire.
More than 20,000 flashes of lightning
were recorded
as the storm raged throughout Saturday
and into Sunday.
Rain warnings in effect for pretty much
all of Portugal at this time.
In addition to this,
the red surf warning in effect
for some of those coastal areas.
Night before the swell
Come see what we're getting tomorrow.
It's a rare one.
Huge and coming right at us.
That's sick. It's the entire ocean.
I have faith that it'll be here
by the afternoon.
That's tight, eh?
I'm kinda feeling
like I might catch a wave.
It's so clean. Why wouldn't I?
Because you had a foot operation
like six weeks ago.
Yeah but when I'm flat footed,
it's fine.
Just don't put it back. It's not even
halfway through the winter.
Morning of the swell
I remember kind of thinking it still
might be possible the whole time.
And I almost was gonna surf.
I was in my hotel room
and I was looking in the mirror,
talking to myself,
trying to figure it out.
Playing through
the different scenarios.
Is that a Patagonia suit?
I felt confident about driving
and putting Cotty and CJ on waves.
But I didn't feel confident
about taking a big wipeout.
I'm just doing my best to stay calm
and patient.
I'm feeling like we should be at the
Harbor going into the water already.
But it doesn't matter, I'm not surfing.
Do you get nervous?
Oh yeah.
I probably get more nervous about the
fact that it's CJ instead of Garrett.
There's a really perfect, clean swell.
The kind of days that I really look
forward to surfing here in Nazaré.
I'm gonna put CJ
on the wave of his life today.
The only one you want is you want this,
or you want this.
This one to come right here
in the middle. Then this one's hollow.
I'd say there are going to be at least
30 skis out there
so it's going to be pretty crowded.
This is actually the best it's been
looking.
Look at that, that looks fucking nice.
Once we've realized Garrett's foot was
messed up and he wasn't gonna surf,
it kind of put Garrett, Cotty and I
all in our own versions
of what's going on here, as opposed to;
okay boom, we're all on the same page.
We're healthy, we all want this wave.
The three of us were in different
places, you know?
Me with minor injuries
still looking to surf.
Garrett like really taking a step back
and Cotty like rearing, ready to go.
- What are you thinking?
- Don't know really.
Cotty reminds me a lot of myself
as far as his desires and his focus.
It's nice to see him so hungry.
It would be nice to get him
what he's looking for.
- Are you excited?
- Sort of. Nervous, you know?
- It looks like the magic day.
- Yep.
You're excited but nervous.
This was the biggest swell that came
through this season, so far.
It was Garrett's first time really
driving since the foot injury, and
we were ready for a giant wave
to come through.
We're going to offer this to the ocean
in thanks and gratitude and also
asking her permission to keep us safe
and protect all of us.
That we can all stay present
and just soak it all up.
Be in our bodies
and have some good experiences.
- Everything cool?
- Yes. Hi.
Okay, so we're all linked up now.
Is everybody good?
- Does anybody need anything?
- All good.
When I got back on the waves
I definitely felt a big uprising
in competitive energy.
Just with all the people up there.
It's a circus out there now.
Everyone's there. Ready to go.
Wanting to push the limits, wanting to
catch the biggest wave ever.
Look at what you've created.
It's kind of surreal
looking back to how good
we had it when we learned about it.
Now there is 20-30 jet skis.
Who's to blame?
Us?
You're a victim of your own success.
This is the first time that I'm surfing
Nazaré in six years and
I definitely have that feeling of
the new kid in school.
All these pros, everyone I see
in all the videos and everything.
They don't know who I am and I'm just
kinda Garrett's sidekick.
And then there's the other side of that
too, the Portuguese people especially,
they would remind me.
No you're the original.
You were here with Garrett
for the first time.
So that's good too because
I need to learn to
claim my moment.
Claim what's rightfully mine,
you know?
And if it's just one glorious wave at
Nazaré amidst all these people
it's like no, I can get one too.
- Nicole, you up in here?
- Yeah.
We're in between first and second peak
way outside the furthest out.
A little outside,
you might add one that swings in.
I'm basically trying to get one wave
and get the biggest wave that I can.
And I see this big set come through.
I'm like man, that's the one.
Garrett puts me on the right way up
the beach
and I go on this thing
and I'm like lining up
and I drop down
and I'm just flying so fast
and it's bumping so hard
and I'm barely staying on.
I feel like I'm fighting to stay on.
You fall off you're like
with no breath for a while.
And that's a very scary thought.
End up making it out and there's
a bigger wave behind it.
Massive, it comes and picks me up.
I like get the board on,
get on the sled
and he was flying out of there.
That was CJ,
he gets out and I put him on the sled.
We got down there really quick
and the board came out from under him.
So his board is on the beach
and I'm not sure how we can get it.
I was pretty happy
that my board washed in.
And I kinda couldn't surf any other
waves because
it was pretty terrifying.
I felt pretty unstable
going that fast with those bumps,
flying down that wave.
I was like oh my god, am I like ready
for this right now?
And I didn't really feel like
I was too ready for it.
So it freaked me out actually,
quite a bit.
That was a big ass wave.
- Which one?
- Yours.
It was, huh?
It felt big. Couldn't tell.
- How'd it feel?
- Weird, it was bumpy.
I'm questioning and doubting.
Like what am I doing?
What am I doing?
Is it really that fun
trying to be out there and surf these
50-60
we're talking about 100-foot wave,
is it that fun?
Not really.
So I'm thinking, what am I doing?
I'm out there risking my life
for what?
What if 200-foot waves existed
on the planet? Good ones.
Are we gonna be out there
trying to surf 'em?
Where do we draw the line?
How was the feeling about the teams?
There was a lot of people with jet skis
and
I kind of liked it, it was nice.
The waves are being surfed all over
the place.
Usually there's a lot of waves
not being ridden,
and it's fun to watch everybody ride.
People on the cliff are happy.
I've surfed enough waves out here,
it's fun to watch people now.
Earlier that day
Let's take a trip to Portugal
with some impressive images.
It's a French surfer that rode
one of the world's biggest waves.
Yes, her name is Justine Dupont.
She is 28 years old.
And she surfed the biggest wave
of her life.
Yesterday something extraordinary
happened.
There was a very big swell.
And I surfed a crazy wave.
Frankly, by far,
the most beautiful wave of my life.
The perspective to be able to see
the wave and the way the shadow was.
You know, it's amazing.
Yeah she scored this wave with a bunch
of dudes out there,
and somehow she got that wave at the
bottom of the day and just charged it.
It was one of the best shots
I ever filmed.
Laurent was in the water shooting
the wave.
And I was driving the jetski.
We really got away from the beginning
until the end.
And everything you want
it's on the footage.
That was the best one today.
It's an interesting world.
Surfers and surf photographers.
It's a very codependent relationship
because really you can't have
a surf photographer
without a professional surfer
and you can't be a surfer if you
don't have a photographer.
If you want to go out and surf for
fun Photographers aren't necessary.
But if you want to surf for a living
you've got to document
most of the things you do.
And in the world of cinematography
and the ocean
Mike Prickett
has been at the forefront.
My name is Mike Prickett
and I'm a surf cinematographer
from the North Shore of Hawaii.
I've been doing this,
jeez for almost 40 years.
Since 1979 I think I started.
Mike Prickett is one of the greatest
surf cinematographers in history.
Mike was always at the top of his game,
he was always the guy
you wanted working with you.
He's a legend in the community
swimming out in the biggest days of surf
with these
massive camera rigs on his shoulder.
Basically almost any film that
you've seen that's water work
to just any surf movie
Mike has shot. But Mike has gone
through some tough times.
He had a horrific accident in Tahiti.
I went to Tahiti to do a commercial,
and I saw a diver that was in trouble,
that got stuck in a down current.
So I went down to rescue him. When I
got to him he was 220 feet under water.
He had no air.
He was in a complete panic,
his eyes were this big.
I was trying to get him to calm down
because he was hyperventilating.
But as I was bringing him
to the surface
I could feel the air starting get lower
we were going to run out of air soon.
We had no choice
but to make an emergency ascent.
We broke through the surface
and we didn't even make a safety stop.
Within a matter of moments
he was already passed out.
Due to getting the bends.
The bends are bubbles in your blood. So
the bubbles went into my spinal cord.
On March 14th I was injured
in a dive accident in Tahiti
and paralyzed from the waist down.
And
the doctor says I have about six months
before I plateau off of my recovery.
Yeah I got six months to see
if I can ever walk again. We'll see.
It's been quite a while
since that happened.
I was in a wheelchair. I don't really
bring my wheel chair with me.
I just force myself to hobble around
and I torture all my friends
to go slow walking with me,
because I take forever.
Yeah they don't care. They're like ah,
come on pick it up, crippled guy.
Slowly, through the physical therapy
he's able to move his legs.
He still has no feeling on them but
he's walking around with crutches now,
I took a slow road to recovery
but yeah that's kind of what happened.
Let's go and get in position.
We shoot a regular surfing shot in the
shoulder of the waves right now.
And then after that
we'll try and track one.
I'm going to tow Cotty on a couple of
waves.
We're going to move over to second,
third peak away from the surfers.
Here we go. Rolling.
Garrett is pulling
Cotty down a wave.
And we're looking at Cotty
and he's going right.
Yup. We got it.
I've been here a long time doing
footage on the jetski with a go-pro.
This is the future.
Everything looks good.
To see Mike come back
and continue to do amazing
both technically and artistically
Is just an absolute inspiration.
I was elected Mayor
on the 29th of September 2013.
When I came to the citadel,
the Nazaré Project had already
fulfilled some of its goals
and we needed to open up Nazaré
to other surfers, to spread the word.
And within that vision for me,
it was mandatory to have a world
surf league event every year.
October 30, 2019
Nazaré Tow Challenge Announcement
Through the work of Garrett and
through the work also of the ladies,
we celebrate this event here.
We've been showcasing the world
that the big waves
making sure that my dream
and the dream of a lot of people
in Nazaré is maintained
through the years.
It's good to see. Good to see.
I'm really excited about the Nazaré
tow challenge.
Yes I'm really excited about the Nazaré
tow challenge. It's
again it's another opportunity to
compete on the world stage.
Looking for the perfect conditions.
I want to be actually surfing
and not surviving.
Big wave surfing events
generally have a window that
will run a certain number of months.
The Nazaré tow Surfing Challenge
started November 1
and ran through the end of February.
So we have four months to wait for
just the right combination of
all the elements to come together.
Calling the day for a big wave event
is probably one of the most complex
things you can
possibly do
in the sporting world by a mile.
The Super Bowl
I can tell you five years from now
exactly what day and hour
the kickoff is.
In big waves, it's just not like that.
There's gonna be a day at some point
in the next four months
and we'll tell you
three days in advance.
You are constantly monitoring
the local weather, the tide,
the exact direction of the swell.
You never know totally for sure.
But you have that pressure of saying,
look, we're going to run an event.
We're going to have a hundred people
from around the world fly in.
We're gonna spend between the events
and the prize money and the broadcast
probably not far off a million dollars.
So when that perfect storm does come,
you don't want to blow it.
February 2020
Three months
after contest announcement.
On February 8th
the WSL announced that
he Nazaré Tow Challenge would be held
on February 11th.
The clock was ticking away
with an amazing crew of decision makers
of the world surf league and especially
the local crew there at Nazaré
were able to just take what we knew
about every other storm that's coming
in the last six or seven years
and study it and look for the one that
had all the right components.
February 11th was going to be easily
the best day of the year.
They reached out and I said yes,
it looks amazing.
There's definitely a swell.
It seems to be big enough. And I
believe the waves will be there.
It's pretty cool, exactly what we had
envisioned and focused on
and plan from this place from the day
we showed up
is now actually happening.
And Cotty's got a spo.
I got a spot but I'm I don't
I'm not gonna
but I am keeping a wildcard spot
so that if I'm better and it is
the 100-foot day then I'll surf it.
What's up?
How are you? I'm getting excited
for you, for this year.
- I'll definitely be ready to drive.
- Yeah?
I'm 100% ready to be on the cliff and
orchestrating, that would be fun too.
- I think that could be more valuable.
- More valuable, huh?
But you'll be freaking out
When I watched from the cliff
I couldn't do it.
- Couldn't do it.
- It freaks me out.
Because you want to be in the water.
Well you want to be in the water,
but also from that different angle
it looks so much more gnarlier
than from the beach at times.
- Alright, love you.
- Right. I'll speak to you in a bit.
Love you buddy.
When Garrett was starting to talk about
the tow contest and everything,
I felt like I had no business being
in it at all.
It just felt way out of my league
honestly.
All these surfers have had an extra
six years experiencing surfing Nazaré,
when I haven't even been around.
Yeah, it was hardly even on my radar
to be a competitor in that.
So I didn't come for the second half of
the season just because
I didn't feel ready.
And also, I had another opportunity,
a thing that arose that was
more what I was supposed to be doing,
which was going deeper into healing.
I flew down to Peru for two weeks.
This tribe has created this little
village center there
for people to come and experience
the medicine of the jungle.
The diet is two meals a day
and then at nighttime,
dinner is drinking Ayahuasca.
So I went there
looking for some healing,
looking for some answers and clarity
on life.
And I've gotten so much growth and
learning from that experience.
As I'm getting clearer on
what all this means
and what's important to myself,
I'm finding more respect
and a different kind of drive
for pushing these limits
and surfing this giant wave.
I feel better about the quest now
for this hundred-foot wave
and I don't feel rushed at all
about it.
It's gonna come when it comes.
With the contest on and stuff it's not
been the most straightforward of years.
I've been surfing with Garrett
for the last 8, 9 years
and obviously
Garrett's been injured.
So I've been partnered with Tom Butler
from the UK.
- You wearing gloves?
- No, I'll probably regret that.
- Regret that?
- Yeah.
I've been putting in the time with Tom
we have to then build our connection
together. We've got to compete.
I'm fortunate to have Tom because he
was one of the early guys at Nazaré.
The WSL tow challenge is being watched
all around the world.
News crews are coming from all around
the world and that's pressure.
But it didn't take too long
and we were getting quite comfortable.
We believed in ourselves.
Cotty's excited, hungry, wants it,
he's been training for it all year.
He's got a good partner
and they're ready.
But they'll also have some serious
competition.
Grab the keys.
How's it going? Good to see you.
Can I feel your board?
- Do you like them that weight?
- Oh it's just for because it's small.
I have my heavy ones for tomorrow
and the next day.
- How heavy?
- Ten kilos. Yeah.
Is this one you were doing
on the flip side? Sick.
That's the guy to watch, Kai Lenny.
He does every discipline in the water,
he's the best at everything.
He does 360s and lands it,
and it's amazing.
So I think he's the best guy to watch.
He's an up comer.
Now that Garrett's discovered this
wave, Kai's going to rip it apart.
If you need anything while you're here
please let me know.
- Thanks, G Mac. Maybe some tips.
- I'll get tips from you.
Big wave surfing definitely has its
old guard and its new guard
and Garrett's the ultimate example of
the old guard.
The new guard is perfectly represented
by Kai Lenny.
He's like a once in a generation freak.
He's just progressing more rapidly than
any surfer in history.
Big wave surfing probably will never be
the same after Kai Lenny.
I mean the things that he's doing.
Garrett isn't gonna be doing that.
I don't see CJ doing that,
I don't see Cotty doing that.
Big wave surfing ebbs and flows with
popularity.
Someone like Garrett has gone through
the highs and the lows of the sport.
I think as far as progression
goes within the sport,
it's gonna keep on going places
no one ever thought was possible.
My towing partner for the Nazaré
challenge is Lucas Chumbo.
When Lucas and I decided to team up,
he in my eyes was the most progressive
big wave surfer.
He's really pushing the level at Nazaré
with giant barrels and giant airs
and big maneuvers.
And I wanted to be partnered with
somebody that
I had a huge amount of respect for,
and who I thought was actually better
than me.
- Mr. McNamara!
- How you doing? Good to see you.
Lucas is somebody to focus on.
This is the blow.
When I got here in Nazaré
I feel so much at home,
or I feel so comfortable here.
At my home I'm doing what I love.
And for sure I'm in the best place
to do what I love.
What's up guys? Did you get a couple?
- We didn't see you in yesterday.
- Yeah, a day out of the wet suit.
You know what time I finished?
2:00 AM to clean the ski.
I'm done today. I need to rest.
I loved it actually when I came first
time to Nazaré,
I didn't have any sponsor.
Then two years after I got this sponsor
from Red Bull
and this is was a dream for me
and now I have my locker.
I want to thank you for coming to the
inaugural Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge.
This is an event that for a lot of us
has been a lifetime in preparation for.
A real opportunity to showcase the
state of the art big wave surfing.
When we get up to make the record,
nobody go to the light house
on that day.
Imagine the difference between
that day and now.
I imagine this is the first time
you've come back to Nazaré
since you had the accident?
Oh no, no. That was like years ago now.
Do people think you're a bit like mad
that you're coming back after that?
Nah because if it was that horrendous
then I wouldn't want to do it again.
And I never thought I was gonna drown
or die, so it's just an injury.
- Cheers man.
- Thank you, you're very kind.
Being constantly reminded
about the wipeout
we can't take too seriously.
It's just part of it,
getting the exposure as well.
I could have made that wave and
could've been the best of my life.
But probably no one would have ever
seen it.
It's like a double-edged sword of what
people want to see.
I've been doing the big wave tour for
20 years now
and the everyone wants to win
ride of the year.
The award you don't want to win
is the wipeout of the year.
One of the hall of fame moments was
Andrew Cotton at Nazaré
getting a little trophy that affirms
yours was the best wipeout of the year
maybe took a little bit of the sting
out of it.
Been trying to win an XXL Award
for my whole career
and then I win one
for a bloody wipeout.
The irony is that
this is so typical.
I don't think there's any question that
people love a good wipeout.
Just from pure statistics,
I just know how many views the wipeouts
get versus the biggest paddle wave.
It's just not even close.
As long as they come out of it okay,
it's just an epic fail.
The five best wipeouts will be enjoyed
more than the one skillful ride
because most people looking
at it don't know the difference.
The waves are supposed
to be good tomorrow too, right?
- Yeah.
- Are you going to surf tomorrow?
My foot's not really ready
for this kind of stuff.
It's not worth it to go out there and
hurt my foot and big old swell comes.
That's true.
- I miss you so much right now.
- I miss you.
These are the times I just want to get
on a plane.
Oahu, Hawaii
I stay home sometimes
but it's all a blur.
Nicole McNamara,
Garrett's wife/Manager
Motherhood is a blur.
I caught one.
Garrett had a lot of work to do,
so sometimes it's easier for Garrett to
go and just get the work done,
then for the whole family to go
and us
Go do bubbles!
Without my family around
there's a lot of time to think
and so I'm thinking there
and ah I could do the contest.
One wave is all I need, one big wave.
A hundred footer comes, I'll be out
there and it will probably come to me.
So I was thinking, yeah,
I think I want to surf it.
Three days ago I went out there
and after I drove around
and felt my foot and felt the chops
and checked into my body and
realized that if I fell
I probably wouldn't come home.
And I was actually getting scared.
Letting fear enter my mind.
I have no business out here,
and I want nothing to do with this.
Garrett's mentioned the fear. I don't
think it's so much fear of the waves
but fear of the pain that he felt
with his shoulder.
I don't think he's afraid of dying,
if you die you're not in pain.
His is like just feeling that pain
again and depression.
I do feel that it would have been
amazing to surf.
But I didn't want to push it.
I wasn't ready.
Two Days Before Contest
I've been on the walkie for a minute
or two here and there.
Never really was a spotter.
I've always been interested in doing it
because I want to see what the people
are watching when they're spotting
and how they're sharing with us what
they see and where they want us to go.
I think we'll have a good practice with
Cotty. I think it will work out.
It's gonna be interesting,
something new for me.
Cotty, you guys out there?
Yeah just getting out just getting up
to the lineup. How's it looking?
Do you want to wait for the sets or
just go for anything?
I think at the moment we are happy
to wait for some sets.
It just feels different trying to
see which way they should go for.
This peak here?
I can't see where you guys are.
Second third peak,
Shit wait, wait, wait.
Definitely some waves on the outside.
Hang tight right where you are.
Second beat, second beat, run over
there, go get it, go get it, go, go.
He's gone, he's going, he's going.
He made it, holy shit, amazing.
Wow that was a heat winner.
This is gonna be the greatest show in
surfing. There's no doubt about it.
Yeah boys, you guys are already here.
That was too fast.
I thought it was gonna eat you. Yeah.
You cranked it so hard, the whitewater
was coming, I was like oh, he's done.
I was about to say, down, down.
And then
To have Garrett in your corner, like,
it's a dream isn't it?
Well if someone said to me like,
10 years ago.
Oh you know you're gonna be in the
Duracell Nazaré Challenge
and Garrett's going to be on the radio
calling the shots.
I never, ever in a million years
I would think that it's possible.
Garrett was just
someone you saw
in magazines and movies.
Not somebody who Facetimes you
at 6:00 in the morning.
- Hello. Hey!
- Hey.
Hi there!
- Did it get smaller?
- No, it's good sized.
There's gonna be some good waves
and it was really beautiful today.
Guess what I got a taste of today?
I have so much more
understanding and I guess I should say
respect for spotting.
Because I spotted today on the cliff
for practice.
It's hard to tell
which wave's gonna be the wave.
Yeah it's really hard.
As soon as they came I scored them
the sickest wave right out the gate
and it worked perfect.
And then they got another good one
and then it was tough.
You guys gotta win this thing.
Yeah I know.
Well we're set, aren't we?
Oh it's nice and warm in here,
it's so cold.
Thank you so much for bringing this.
Sorry to put that on you.
Good to see you.
- So you guys have a meeting at Linos?
- Yeah, yeah.
- What kind of a meeting?
- Safety and then
What is the safety plan? Did they
have one ski delegated to each team?
Some people weren't happy.
There was only like
2 or 3 really good
safety guides out of the 5.
That doesn't seem good at all.
Those safety skis are gonna be on the
beach so fast when they lose their ski.
- And you're happy with that?
- No, but what can you do really.
I think it's gonna be as safe
as it can be, you know?
- Let me call Bill.
- Alright, thanks very much.
It's just things can go wrong so quick.
You can have two skis down in a second.
All of a sudden everyone's on two skis
and there's still three skis surfing.
- Garrett?
- Bill.
I was talking to Cotty about
the safety, it sounded really, really
scary to me
what you guys got in place.
We're about to have another meeting
on it,
it's been basically an outgrowth
that we all talked about.
It's the last meeting, if you want to
come and chime in, it's coming up.
If I was in the event I would want
to I would say more,
but since I'm not, I don't really feel
like it's my place to say anything.
Either join in or wait and see
whatever we come up with.
- Alright, bye bye.
- Bye, bye.
Garrett is like a lot of us,
he'll be
a team player when it suits him,
and he'll be an independent
when it suits him.
And he and I and a lot of other people
have had times where
we've clashed and it's gotten weird.
His vision has not always matched
everyone else's.
We are heading to the safety meeting
for the contest.
This is gonna be super big, super
gnarly, it's got to be super safe.
Cameras were not allowed
in the safety meeting.
So I was concerned about the safety,
and I show up at this meeting.
And they're not having a shadow follow.
It wasn't mandatory for each team
to have a shadow.
And I spoke very blunt
about what I felt.
Without your backup safety,
it's very unsafe and good luck.
Alemao Edilson Luis Da Assunçao
WSL Nazaré Challenge Safety Driver
I thought that the safety measures of
the WSL Nazaré Tow-in Challenge,
I think that without a doubt, they were
the best possible measures.
They had a very solid team.
Garrett didn't agree.
For me it was hard to interpret
Garrett's position in a negative way.
Garrett has always been like that.
He always worries.
It's not the first time.
It's not just because the WSL event.
Because he knows the importance
and the difficulty of being
a safety driver in Nazaré.
It was important that you have
veterans like Garrett McNamara
who are pushing the safety side,
especially in competition.
Because it's easy to get clouded in
the fog of competitive surfing
and you forget about the basics
and the stuff that's most important.
A lot of preparation went into having
a safety plan in place for that event.
A lot of really qualified people are
working on it.
We had 15 jet skis dedicated to rescue.
If everyone knows what they're doing
and sticks to their assignment,
it provides a pretty good safety net
for everyone.
Hopefully they'll understand
what I was sharing with them,
I really hope the best for everybody.
I hope everybody comes home.
February 11, 2020
Morning of Nazaré Tow Challenge
For the Nazaré tow surfing challenge
every important big wave surfer
from Brazil,
from Hawaii, California, whatever.
Everyone's there.
It's an honor to surf the tow challenge
representing Brazil.
To me,
it's priceless to be able to put on
a jersey with your country's colors.
To see this place,
have a professional towing contest.
This is something maybe I dreamed
about, I'm not even sure.
But I'm very proud that we have myself
and Justine at the level that I think
we'll do something and
we'll catch waves
and we'll represent and we'll put on
a show hopefully.
It's quite a unique spectacle.
And whenever we run an event
the world has its eyes on us.
It's amazing in two years how excited
people have gotten over this wave.
You're gonna see thousands of people
covering the cliffs.
It's just like you're going to
the Super Bowl of surfing.
Blessed with great traditions
and a big swell in the water.
Garrett is in the studio alongside me.
Garrett McNamara,
how are you feeling about today?
I'm excited. I can't wait to see these
guys out there giving it their best
and it's gonna be a great show.
We are expecting
some epic performances.
Forty or fifty of the world's best big
wave surfers all pushing the limits.
This is gonna be awesome.
There are the teams. You look down
towards Chianca and Lenny,
a lot of buzz, a lot of hype, those
guys have taken tow to the next level.
Those are gonna be the two standouts.
These guys are gonna bring a whole
different look to riding big waves.
Yeah they're definitely a force to be
reckoned with.
Every time I do a competition, I want
to get the best waves of my life.
And if those are the best waves
of my life,
than they should win the competition.
Not many people have spent more time
out here than Andrew Cotton.
How do you fancy their chances?
Everybody loves Cotty.
He's hungry and he wants it.
I'm really excited to see them get
action in their heat.
This is it. If I'm gonna do it,
I'm gonna be in it to win it.
I was just super hyped up
from the event.
The big wave surf competition.
It could be life-changing.
Everyone wants the same thing,
that wave that's gonna make a trip
and change your life.