1 00:00:01,083 --> 00:00:03,875 [bright tone] 2 00:00:05,416 --> 00:00:08,333 [stately music] 3 00:00:08,416 --> 00:00:13,375 ♪ ♪ 4 00:00:13,458 --> 00:00:17,333 The idea of surfing a 100-foot wave, 5 00:00:17,416 --> 00:00:21,166 it came purely from trying to get the rush. 6 00:00:21,249 --> 00:00:22,958 ♪ ♪ 7 00:00:23,041 --> 00:00:24,999 There was no wave too big. 8 00:00:25,083 --> 00:00:29,667 It was just looking for bigger, and bigger, and bigger. 9 00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:36,041 The 100-foot wave has become this phantom legend. 10 00:00:37,083 --> 00:00:42,041 - Does the 100-foot wave exist? - Yeah, I think, yeah, it does. 11 00:00:42,124 --> 00:00:46,166 Is it surfable? I don't know. 12 00:00:47,625 --> 00:00:51,375 It's a very fine line, surfing big waves. 13 00:00:51,458 --> 00:00:56,458 It's, like, very exhilarating, but quite scary, too. 14 00:00:57,291 --> 00:01:00,833 You have to have that mental attitude to be willing to die 15 00:01:00,917 --> 00:01:02,999 and die again, and again, and again. 16 00:01:03,083 --> 00:01:07,708 And that's wave after wave, day after day. 17 00:01:07,792 --> 00:01:10,208 You start to fear for your life. 18 00:01:10,291 --> 00:01:13,041 ♪ ♪ 19 00:01:13,124 --> 00:01:16,249 [speaking French] 20 00:01:20,249 --> 00:01:22,083 Whenever you fall in a big wave, 21 00:01:22,166 --> 00:01:25,249 you don't have any control of what's about to happen. 22 00:01:25,333 --> 00:01:27,458 You're blasted this way, blasted that way, 23 00:01:27,541 --> 00:01:29,416 down and up, all over the place, 24 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:31,583 and you're holding onto your last breath. 25 00:01:31,667 --> 00:01:34,917 There's panic, and there's fear. 26 00:01:34,999 --> 00:01:39,458 The goal is to face fears, to go straight at the fear, 27 00:01:39,541 --> 00:01:41,833 to release it, to free it. 28 00:01:41,917 --> 00:01:44,375 In doing this and facing this fear, 29 00:01:44,458 --> 00:01:46,249 I'm gonna discover a part of myself 30 00:01:46,333 --> 00:01:49,249 that I didn't know was there. 31 00:01:49,333 --> 00:01:56,333 ♪ ♪ 32 00:02:11,041 --> 00:02:15,958 Check out these monster 100-foot waves off Portugal. 33 00:02:16,041 --> 00:02:18,291 The biggest wave ever surfed, 34 00:02:18,375 --> 00:02:20,166 as high as 100 feet. 35 00:02:20,249 --> 00:02:21,500 To put that in perspective, 36 00:02:21,583 --> 00:02:23,999 that is taller than an eight-story building. 37 00:02:24,083 --> 00:02:27,166 Surfers are always looking for the next great thing. 38 00:02:27,249 --> 00:02:31,124 It often breaks those brave or crazy board riders. 39 00:02:31,208 --> 00:02:34,917 Severe wipeouts and waves of mind-boggling heights. 40 00:02:34,999 --> 00:02:37,500 What happens here happens nowhere else in the world. 41 00:02:37,583 --> 00:02:40,625 - Biggest wave ever surfed. - The biggest wave ever. 42 00:02:40,708 --> 00:02:42,348 - Biggest wave. - The biggest wave ever... 43 00:02:42,375 --> 00:02:45,958 The 100-foot wave. 44 00:02:46,041 --> 00:02:50,750 ♪ ♪ 45 00:03:05,291 --> 00:03:10,792 - My name's Garrett McNamara. - I'm an ocean explorer. 46 00:03:10,875 --> 00:03:13,166 I just feel real comfortable in the ocean, 47 00:03:13,249 --> 00:03:16,583 probably more comfortable than I do on the land. 48 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:20,041 Garrett McNamara, known for discovering and pioneering 49 00:03:20,124 --> 00:03:22,999 and surfing the biggest wave in the world. 50 00:03:23,083 --> 00:03:25,017 Garrett is an American professional big wave surfer 51 00:03:25,041 --> 00:03:26,333 and extreme... 52 00:03:26,416 --> 00:03:28,833 Big wave rider Garrett McNamara has ridden 53 00:03:28,958 --> 00:03:31,208 what could be the world's biggest wave. 54 00:03:31,291 --> 00:03:34,500 This daredevil Hawaiian is still pushing the envelope, 55 00:03:34,583 --> 00:03:38,667 chasing one final prize, to surf the perfect wave. 56 00:03:38,750 --> 00:03:41,083 Hey, baby. 57 00:03:41,166 --> 00:03:43,541 - The waves are coming, huh? - Yeah. 58 00:03:43,625 --> 00:03:45,124 Trade winds offshore? 59 00:03:45,208 --> 00:03:47,541 - Yeah, it's gonna be trade. - It's like 15 miles an hour. 60 00:03:47,625 --> 00:03:48,541 Perfect. 61 00:03:48,625 --> 00:03:49,999 - Yeah. - All right, bye. 62 00:03:50,083 --> 00:03:52,917 I've always wanted to ride a wave over 100 feet... 63 00:03:52,999 --> 00:03:55,208 ♪ ♪ 64 00:03:55,291 --> 00:03:57,416 And there's nowhere in the world that I found 65 00:03:57,500 --> 00:04:01,208 that's anything like Nazaré in Portugal. 66 00:04:01,291 --> 00:04:04,041 That's the only place that I see the potential 67 00:04:04,124 --> 00:04:06,541 of a 100-foot wave. 68 00:04:06,625 --> 00:04:09,541 [soft music] 69 00:04:09,625 --> 00:04:14,583 ♪ ♪ 70 00:04:14,667 --> 00:04:16,333 Ha-ha! 71 00:04:16,416 --> 00:04:18,958 One, two, three. 72 00:04:19,041 --> 00:04:23,249 I am getting ready physically, mentally, spiritually 73 00:04:23,333 --> 00:04:26,124 to go back to Nazaré. 74 00:04:26,208 --> 00:04:29,249 This year I am very, very confident 75 00:04:29,333 --> 00:04:31,416 that we're gonna ride the biggest wave ever ridden 76 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:33,792 out there. 77 00:04:33,875 --> 00:04:40,792 ♪ ♪ 78 00:04:40,875 --> 00:04:43,625 I been surfing my whole life, 79 00:04:43,708 --> 00:04:47,249 and it's pretty much been a dream the whole way. 80 00:04:47,333 --> 00:04:52,458 When we were younger, I would spend my last penny 81 00:04:52,541 --> 00:04:56,333 to go hunt for a wave. 82 00:04:58,208 --> 00:05:03,833 I would literally not have any money left at the location, 83 00:05:03,917 --> 00:05:06,083 and I would have to sell surfboards 84 00:05:06,166 --> 00:05:08,458 to get a plane ticket out of there. 85 00:05:08,541 --> 00:05:11,458 I would do everything and anything you could do 86 00:05:11,541 --> 00:05:14,625 to get to that next big wave. 87 00:05:14,708 --> 00:05:21,667 ♪ ♪ 88 00:05:23,041 --> 00:05:27,291 But at 35, I gave up on my passion. 89 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:29,792 And I opened a store because I thought 90 00:05:29,875 --> 00:05:31,333 it was the responsible thing to do. 91 00:05:31,416 --> 00:05:34,667 I thought it was what we were supposed to do. 92 00:05:34,750 --> 00:05:37,999 I had three children with my first wife. 93 00:05:38,083 --> 00:05:41,875 And I didn't think there was a future in surfing. 94 00:05:43,917 --> 00:05:46,667 Since I'd surfed my whole life up to that point, 95 00:05:46,750 --> 00:05:49,625 I felt like, okay, I already got to surf till 35, 96 00:05:49,708 --> 00:05:53,541 so working for the rest of my life isn't too bad. 97 00:05:53,625 --> 00:05:56,625 I should be very happy to just work now. 98 00:05:56,708 --> 00:06:01,999 My brother's T-shirt, see him on the shirt. 99 00:06:02,083 --> 00:06:04,708 Um... 100 00:06:04,792 --> 00:06:07,500 After about two or three years, 101 00:06:07,583 --> 00:06:10,999 I was pretty miserable going to work every day. 102 00:06:11,083 --> 00:06:14,541 I was driving to the store, 103 00:06:14,625 --> 00:06:16,958 and I was passing perfect waves, 104 00:06:17,041 --> 00:06:19,041 and I was getting depressed. 105 00:06:19,124 --> 00:06:21,416 I thought to myself, man, I really want 106 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:24,500 to give the surfing one more chance. 107 00:06:24,583 --> 00:06:28,083 I wrote a business plan to keep surfing, 108 00:06:28,166 --> 00:06:29,541 basically a road map. 109 00:06:29,625 --> 00:06:32,750 Keep surfing was the goal. 110 00:06:32,833 --> 00:06:36,375 Training, focusing, manifesting was 111 00:06:36,458 --> 00:06:40,541 what I felt was the way to achieve that. 112 00:06:40,625 --> 00:06:43,124 ♪ ♪ 113 00:06:50,667 --> 00:06:52,708 We're in the parking lot of the store 114 00:06:52,792 --> 00:06:56,291 that I very fortunately got to close. 115 00:06:56,375 --> 00:06:58,124 It was doing well. 116 00:06:58,208 --> 00:07:00,458 You know, it was a successful business, 117 00:07:00,541 --> 00:07:02,958 but it wasn't fun. 118 00:07:03,041 --> 00:07:06,249 When friends came in talking about how good the waves were, 119 00:07:06,333 --> 00:07:08,999 I would just be like, don't even tell me. 120 00:07:09,083 --> 00:07:10,583 I don't remember it being red. 121 00:07:10,667 --> 00:07:12,792 Garrett, I don't really remember hearing from him 122 00:07:12,875 --> 00:07:16,291 for a while, but when tow surfing emerged 123 00:07:16,375 --> 00:07:18,750 right around the turn of the century, 124 00:07:18,833 --> 00:07:23,166 that's where Garrett reinvented himself. 125 00:07:23,249 --> 00:07:25,625 In the beginning, there was paddle surfing, 126 00:07:25,708 --> 00:07:28,249 and it started out in smaller waves where 127 00:07:28,333 --> 00:07:31,583 if you could just make it outside was a challenge. 128 00:07:31,667 --> 00:07:35,249 - There was no jet skis. - There was no flotation. 129 00:07:35,333 --> 00:07:39,291 So we went as far as we could go with our arms. 130 00:07:39,375 --> 00:07:41,917 At some point, all the Northshore breaks, 131 00:07:41,999 --> 00:07:43,500 they're all just so crowded. 132 00:07:43,583 --> 00:07:45,833 It was just so hard to get the good wave. 133 00:07:45,917 --> 00:07:47,625 It's like being in a ski resort, 134 00:07:47,708 --> 00:07:49,792 and there's just hundreds of people on every run, 135 00:07:49,875 --> 00:07:51,667 and then there's mountains in the back. 136 00:07:51,750 --> 00:07:54,083 Laird Hamilton, Darrick Doerner, and I, 137 00:07:54,166 --> 00:07:56,792 we went, well, maybe if we take my Zodiac out there, 138 00:07:56,875 --> 00:08:00,291 we can start tapping into these back mountains. 139 00:08:00,375 --> 00:08:04,416 The very first day that we implemented the technique 140 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:06,625 in large conditions, 141 00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:09,458 it was Thomas Edison and the light bulb. 142 00:08:09,541 --> 00:08:12,333 Everything lit up, and we were like, oh, yeah, 143 00:08:12,416 --> 00:08:14,124 we're onto something. 144 00:08:14,208 --> 00:08:15,968 I was on the beach watching that first day, 145 00:08:15,999 --> 00:08:17,917 and I was instantly like... 146 00:08:17,999 --> 00:08:21,333 Just watching them ride wave after wave, 147 00:08:21,416 --> 00:08:23,166 I felt like I was a cartoon character 148 00:08:23,249 --> 00:08:24,958 with the jaw dropped on the ground, 149 00:08:25,041 --> 00:08:26,541 and I'm just watching. 150 00:08:26,625 --> 00:08:29,500 We knew that it was something special. 151 00:08:29,583 --> 00:08:31,625 We knew that it was gonna change the way 152 00:08:31,708 --> 00:08:34,458 we rode giant waves, but I don't think 153 00:08:34,541 --> 00:08:37,333 we had any idea to what extent. 154 00:08:37,416 --> 00:08:39,792 When we started towing these waves, 155 00:08:39,875 --> 00:08:41,833 it was like an untapped resource, 156 00:08:41,917 --> 00:08:44,083 but it was kind of a risky thing, 157 00:08:44,166 --> 00:08:46,166 especially with the Zodiac. 158 00:08:46,249 --> 00:08:48,667 The challenge with the Zodiac is there's a propeller. 159 00:08:48,750 --> 00:08:50,500 That thing will chop you up. 160 00:08:50,583 --> 00:08:52,875 So Zodiac can't really go in and rescue you. 161 00:08:52,958 --> 00:08:55,166 So the only way to catch it once it gets 162 00:08:55,249 --> 00:08:59,500 over like 50 feet tall is with a jet ski. 163 00:08:59,583 --> 00:09:03,708 We took both the WaveRunner and the jet ski over to Maui, 164 00:09:03,792 --> 00:09:06,208 and then we found out that it can handle as big 165 00:09:06,291 --> 00:09:08,583 as Mother Nature can send. 166 00:09:08,667 --> 00:09:12,792 Using a jet ski allowed access to these outer reefs, 167 00:09:12,875 --> 00:09:15,458 and it turned out those waves breaking out there were 168 00:09:15,541 --> 00:09:17,667 much, much bigger than anyone really realized. 169 00:09:17,750 --> 00:09:20,375 There were suddenly 50-foot waves 170 00:09:20,458 --> 00:09:22,833 and 60-foot waves, and they were everywhere. 171 00:09:22,917 --> 00:09:25,708 Now there was no waves that were too big to ride. 172 00:09:25,792 --> 00:09:29,833 You could surf anywhere. 173 00:09:29,917 --> 00:09:33,333 Garrett really kind of burst back on the scene 174 00:09:33,416 --> 00:09:35,958 in about 2001, 2002. 175 00:09:36,041 --> 00:09:38,958 There was a series of swells at Jaws, 176 00:09:39,041 --> 00:09:41,958 and one of them was for the Tow-In World Cup. 177 00:09:46,625 --> 00:09:49,208 So then there was a contest at Jaws, 178 00:09:49,291 --> 00:09:51,999 and I got invited somehow. 179 00:09:52,083 --> 00:09:55,917 I thought winning the event was the way to keep surfing. 180 00:09:55,999 --> 00:09:58,249 I remember the very first day that he came to Jaws. 181 00:09:58,333 --> 00:09:59,517 It was probably one of the better days 182 00:09:59,541 --> 00:10:01,500 that I've seen at Jaws. 183 00:10:01,583 --> 00:10:03,583 The waves were really, really good, 184 00:10:03,667 --> 00:10:06,458 and it was a giant day. 185 00:10:06,541 --> 00:10:11,917 I had never been to Jaws, and it was terrifying. 186 00:10:11,999 --> 00:10:15,041 I was so afraid. 187 00:10:15,124 --> 00:10:18,583 First wave I panicked. I chickened out. 188 00:10:18,667 --> 00:10:21,750 And I was, like, kind of embarrassed and shamed. 189 00:10:21,833 --> 00:10:24,458 [bright music] 190 00:10:24,541 --> 00:10:26,861 And then he put me on another wave right in the right spot, 191 00:10:26,917 --> 00:10:29,750 and I just ran... whoa! 192 00:10:29,833 --> 00:10:31,291 Got to the channel, kicked back... 193 00:10:31,375 --> 00:10:33,625 Oh, whew, and then the next one, 194 00:10:33,708 --> 00:10:36,291 yeah, ahh, and the next one, started to turn, 195 00:10:36,375 --> 00:10:38,291 started to have fun. 196 00:10:38,375 --> 00:10:41,500 Right at the horn, we got the third wave. 197 00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:46,249 We ended up winning. It was a $70,000 purse. 198 00:10:46,333 --> 00:10:48,416 Highest purse ever won with the biggest waves 199 00:10:48,500 --> 00:10:50,291 ever competed in. 200 00:10:50,375 --> 00:10:52,124 And then I wanted to get barreled. 201 00:10:52,208 --> 00:10:56,833 I saw so many guys riding so many waves not in the barrel. 202 00:10:57,833 --> 00:11:01,667 And so the next year, went and got barreled. 203 00:11:01,750 --> 00:11:03,792 ♪ ♪ 204 00:11:03,875 --> 00:11:06,291 - Yeah! - [indistinct chatter] 205 00:11:06,375 --> 00:11:09,583 [laughter] 206 00:11:09,667 --> 00:11:12,124 - Yeah! - Oh, my God. 207 00:11:12,208 --> 00:11:15,208 - Whoa. - Holy shit! 208 00:11:15,291 --> 00:11:16,833 I was in the water 209 00:11:16,917 --> 00:11:19,291 shooting a big 35 millimeter camera rig. 210 00:11:19,375 --> 00:11:22,458 It was, like, you know, 50-foot day, and I turn in the water, 211 00:11:22,541 --> 00:11:25,041 and I just zoomed in enough, 212 00:11:25,124 --> 00:11:26,667 and I just saw this wave barreling, 213 00:11:26,750 --> 00:11:28,999 and it just spit, and then this little guy came out, 214 00:11:29,083 --> 00:11:31,999 and it was Garrett with his hands over his head. 215 00:11:32,083 --> 00:11:35,291 That was the deepest anyone had ever gotten 216 00:11:35,375 --> 00:11:39,917 inside a barrel out at Pe'ahi, and come out. 217 00:11:39,999 --> 00:11:42,833 It was something that we hadn't been doing 218 00:11:42,917 --> 00:11:44,083 quite like that. 219 00:11:44,166 --> 00:11:45,958 We had been moving a lot more slowly. 220 00:11:46,041 --> 00:11:48,333 We were just trying to survive it. 221 00:11:48,416 --> 00:11:51,166 I have a saying, you know, ride to ride another day. 222 00:11:51,249 --> 00:11:53,083 And I think Garrett's saying is, you know, 223 00:11:53,166 --> 00:11:55,833 ride to ride today and maybe not tomorrow. 224 00:11:55,917 --> 00:11:57,309 When Garrett caught that giant barrel, 225 00:11:57,333 --> 00:11:58,541 I was sitting in a tree 226 00:11:58,625 --> 00:12:00,267 with my younger brother and my best friend, 227 00:12:00,291 --> 00:12:01,708 and we could not believe our eyes. 228 00:12:01,792 --> 00:12:05,208 Part of me thinks he came from another dimension. 229 00:12:05,291 --> 00:12:08,833 Get sucked up into the barrel and then like a cannon, 230 00:12:08,917 --> 00:12:10,875 just... [mimics water rushing] 231 00:12:10,958 --> 00:12:14,166 Opened my eyes, looked up, my hands up, and just went, 232 00:12:14,249 --> 00:12:17,541 "Thank you, God. Thank you, God." 233 00:12:17,625 --> 00:12:19,875 That ride was, like, the biggest barrel 234 00:12:19,958 --> 00:12:21,750 ever gotten to date. 235 00:12:21,833 --> 00:12:24,958 It's still probably the best barrel ever ridden at Jaws. 236 00:12:25,041 --> 00:12:28,708 That stands the test of time almost 20 years later 237 00:12:28,792 --> 00:12:31,667 as one of the biggest, best barrels 238 00:12:31,750 --> 00:12:33,917 that any human being has ever ridden. 239 00:12:33,999 --> 00:12:36,124 ♪ ♪ 240 00:12:36,208 --> 00:12:40,917 That wave revitalized my surfing career. 241 00:12:40,999 --> 00:12:43,667 I closed the store, and... 242 00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:47,833 And then it just went bananas. 243 00:12:49,833 --> 00:12:52,917 He won some awards with that wave. 244 00:12:52,999 --> 00:12:54,208 It was massive. 245 00:12:54,291 --> 00:12:56,750 Winner is Garrett McNamara! 246 00:12:56,833 --> 00:13:00,416 [cheers and applause] 247 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:02,541 That was the turning point for him to say, 248 00:13:02,625 --> 00:13:03,975 "Hey, you know what, I'm gonna focus 249 00:13:03,999 --> 00:13:07,083 on catching the biggest wave in the world." 250 00:13:07,166 --> 00:13:08,875 - I don't know. - I'm at a loss for words. 251 00:13:08,958 --> 00:13:11,083 It happens once in a while. 252 00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:14,249 He got so focused on chasing the biggest, gnarliest wave. 253 00:13:14,333 --> 00:13:16,458 Any time there was a swell anywhere, 254 00:13:16,541 --> 00:13:18,958 you knew Garrett was gonna be there. 255 00:13:19,041 --> 00:13:21,999 And he was frothing. I mean, he went mad. 256 00:13:22,083 --> 00:13:23,792 He just went everywhere. 257 00:13:23,875 --> 00:13:25,833 [shouting] 258 00:13:25,917 --> 00:13:28,375 Garrett's really found his niche 259 00:13:28,458 --> 00:13:32,291 by being somewhere acceptable 260 00:13:32,375 --> 00:13:35,124 by the surf industry, 261 00:13:35,208 --> 00:13:38,333 but largely being a maverick out doing his own thing. 262 00:13:39,583 --> 00:13:42,458 He's never ever been comfortable 263 00:13:42,541 --> 00:13:45,333 just being part of the surfing herd. 264 00:13:45,416 --> 00:13:47,792 And because of it, he's really stood out 265 00:13:47,875 --> 00:13:50,458 and had one of the most spectacular careers 266 00:13:50,541 --> 00:13:52,249 that's come out of big wave surfing. 267 00:13:56,124 --> 00:13:59,500 - Look at that! - [all cheering] 268 00:13:59,583 --> 00:14:02,958 There's traditional surfing, and there's extreme surfing. 269 00:14:03,041 --> 00:14:05,333 I prefer to do extreme surfing, 270 00:14:05,416 --> 00:14:08,375 put your life on the line every time you go out. 271 00:14:08,458 --> 00:14:10,166 Everybody always just thought I was crazy. 272 00:14:10,249 --> 00:14:11,958 They'd think I was out of my mind, 273 00:14:12,041 --> 00:14:13,833 but they don't realize that I was focused. 274 00:14:13,917 --> 00:14:16,500 I had a plan every big swell. I was going after something. 275 00:14:16,583 --> 00:14:18,208 I was gonna get it. 276 00:14:18,291 --> 00:14:20,999 I'm in search of the biggest waves to ride, 277 00:14:21,083 --> 00:14:23,999 and it'll take me all over the world. 278 00:14:24,083 --> 00:14:26,208 I'll ride a 100-foot wave. 279 00:14:26,291 --> 00:14:31,041 Actually, I have no interest in a 100-foot wave. 280 00:14:31,124 --> 00:14:32,625 I want a 120-footer. 281 00:14:32,708 --> 00:14:36,041 That way there'll be no ifs, ands, or buts about it. 282 00:14:36,124 --> 00:14:38,708 ♪ ♪ 283 00:14:38,792 --> 00:14:42,208 Big wave surfing has been one of the strangest evolutions 284 00:14:42,291 --> 00:14:44,708 just over the last 20 years. 285 00:14:44,792 --> 00:14:47,083 There was a time when the only place that had big waves 286 00:14:47,166 --> 00:14:49,833 was Waimea Bay in Hawaii. 287 00:14:49,917 --> 00:14:52,833 And every few years, just out of the mist, 288 00:14:52,917 --> 00:14:55,208 would emerge another place. 289 00:14:55,291 --> 00:14:58,416 Mavericks suddenly emerged. 290 00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:02,375 And Jaws really showed that there were 60-foot waves, 291 00:15:02,458 --> 00:15:05,041 70-foot waves, 80-foot waves. 292 00:15:05,124 --> 00:15:08,541 Cortes Bank put the whole idea of the 100-foot wave 293 00:15:08,625 --> 00:15:10,541 out there. 294 00:15:10,625 --> 00:15:13,708 And the most recent one to shatter everyone's notions 295 00:15:13,792 --> 00:15:15,583 of big waves was Nazaré. 296 00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:19,625 And for sure, Garrett was the first to go there. 297 00:15:19,708 --> 00:15:22,833 When I met Garrett, he had all these brilliant ideas 298 00:15:22,917 --> 00:15:24,041 and all these goals 299 00:15:24,124 --> 00:15:25,999 and all these things he wanted to accomplish, 300 00:15:26,083 --> 00:15:29,124 and one of them was riding the 100-foot wave. 301 00:15:29,208 --> 00:15:32,416 I really wanted to help him get organized, 302 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:35,375 and so I traveled everywhere with him. 303 00:15:35,458 --> 00:15:37,249 Every swell, I was always there. 304 00:15:37,333 --> 00:15:40,583 We were inseparable. 305 00:15:40,667 --> 00:15:44,667 At that time, nobody knew about Nazaré. 306 00:15:44,750 --> 00:15:48,249 It was not a surfing town. 307 00:15:48,333 --> 00:15:50,750 I've been involved in surfing for a long time. 308 00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:54,458 I was at "Surfing Magazine" in the '80s. 309 00:15:54,541 --> 00:15:56,458 I did a lot of traveling in the '90s 310 00:15:56,541 --> 00:16:00,124 and a lot of surf exploration around the world. 311 00:16:00,208 --> 00:16:04,583 I had never heard of Nazaré prior to Garrett. 312 00:16:04,667 --> 00:16:07,917 In fact, I'd never even heard of big waves in Portugal. 313 00:16:07,999 --> 00:16:09,583 First time I heard about Nazaré, 314 00:16:09,667 --> 00:16:11,291 I got an email from Dino. 315 00:16:11,375 --> 00:16:13,958 He was working for the city hall of Nazaré. 316 00:16:14,041 --> 00:16:19,958 I was walking, and I stopped near place to see the view. 317 00:16:20,041 --> 00:16:24,958 And I took a picture of a perfect, incredible wave. 318 00:16:25,041 --> 00:16:29,625 I didn't realize how special that wave and that picture was 319 00:16:29,708 --> 00:16:31,291 until I arrived home. 320 00:16:31,375 --> 00:16:35,249 I immediately think that I need to do something. 321 00:16:35,333 --> 00:16:39,750 I found Garrett's website, and I sent him an email 322 00:16:39,833 --> 00:16:42,875 with this picture saying that we had a giant wave. 323 00:16:42,958 --> 00:16:47,333 - Oh, 53 feet? - That's over 100 feet! 324 00:16:47,416 --> 00:16:48,875 He asked me, 325 00:16:48,958 --> 00:16:52,750 "Can you come see if my wave was big and good?" 326 00:16:52,833 --> 00:16:56,667 And he sent me a picture, and it was amazing. 327 00:16:56,750 --> 00:16:59,999 We emailed back and forth for about five years, 328 00:17:00,083 --> 00:17:03,291 never really got anywhere. 329 00:17:03,375 --> 00:17:06,833 Then Nicole saw the email chain. 330 00:17:06,917 --> 00:17:09,999 That's... that looks big. 331 00:17:10,083 --> 00:17:11,708 She said, what is this? 332 00:17:11,792 --> 00:17:14,500 And I said, oh, some guy in Nazaré wants me 333 00:17:14,583 --> 00:17:16,875 to come check out his wave. 334 00:17:16,958 --> 00:17:18,999 I think he had just been watching these waves 335 00:17:19,083 --> 00:17:20,883 his whole life ever since he was a little boy, 336 00:17:20,917 --> 00:17:25,541 and he wanted to see somebody surf them. 337 00:17:25,625 --> 00:17:29,541 When I was a kid, I was always passionate 338 00:17:29,625 --> 00:17:31,875 about the giant waves. 339 00:17:31,958 --> 00:17:35,708 And that was a passion that I cannot explain you. 340 00:17:35,792 --> 00:17:38,708 Every time that we had a giant swell, 341 00:17:38,792 --> 00:17:40,708 I walked to the lighthouse. 342 00:17:40,792 --> 00:17:45,375 I spent there four hours or five hours just enjoying. 343 00:17:45,458 --> 00:17:50,083 And I always want to share that. 344 00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:52,917 So I found the email, 345 00:17:52,999 --> 00:17:54,208 and then I was like, 346 00:17:54,291 --> 00:17:56,041 "Well, do you want to go?" and he said yes, 347 00:17:56,124 --> 00:17:57,999 and then in a month we were there. 348 00:17:58,083 --> 00:18:01,041 [upbeat music] 349 00:18:01,124 --> 00:18:08,124 ♪ ♪ 350 00:18:11,667 --> 00:18:16,792 It was just Garrett and I, and we had zero expectations. 351 00:18:16,875 --> 00:18:20,583 We were in love, and it didn't matter what was here. 352 00:18:20,667 --> 00:18:23,625 We were gonna have a good time. 353 00:18:23,708 --> 00:18:27,083 So literally the first place we went when we arrived 354 00:18:27,166 --> 00:18:28,375 was the lighthouse. 355 00:18:28,458 --> 00:18:30,958 This is incredible, beautiful. 356 00:18:31,041 --> 00:18:32,249 So we get out. 357 00:18:32,333 --> 00:18:33,708 We could barely open the car door 358 00:18:33,792 --> 00:18:36,917 'cause the wind was just pounding us. 359 00:18:36,999 --> 00:18:41,124 ♪ ♪ 360 00:18:41,208 --> 00:18:44,083 So this is the first day. 361 00:18:44,166 --> 00:18:47,375 ♪ ♪ 362 00:18:47,458 --> 00:18:49,291 Wow. Wow. 363 00:18:49,375 --> 00:18:51,875 This is crazy. 364 00:18:51,958 --> 00:18:53,750 You can feel the power from here. 365 00:18:53,833 --> 00:18:55,124 You can feel the shaking. 366 00:18:55,208 --> 00:18:58,833 That thing's probably 50, 60 feet tall. 367 00:18:58,917 --> 00:19:02,750 Wow! 368 00:19:02,833 --> 00:19:05,166 Holy shit! 369 00:19:05,249 --> 00:19:08,625 You'd die right there, guaranteed die. 370 00:19:08,708 --> 00:19:12,625 This is incredible. This is big and dangerous. 371 00:19:12,708 --> 00:19:16,750 Crazy. 372 00:19:16,833 --> 00:19:18,792 It's gonna be a fun trip. 373 00:19:18,875 --> 00:19:21,333 [laughs] 374 00:19:21,416 --> 00:19:22,833 At that time in my life, 375 00:19:22,917 --> 00:19:25,458 I would almost surf anything that broke, 376 00:19:25,541 --> 00:19:29,999 and nothing was too big, and nothing was too dangerous. 377 00:19:30,083 --> 00:19:33,583 I was real hungry and real focused and determined 378 00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:37,667 to find this 100-foot wave, and I thought with Nazaré, 379 00:19:37,750 --> 00:19:40,124 it was possible. 380 00:19:40,208 --> 00:19:43,750 Got lucky. 381 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:47,166 The one thing that defines Nazaré, 382 00:19:47,249 --> 00:19:51,708 the unique aspect under the water is the canyon. 383 00:19:51,792 --> 00:19:53,500 It's three miles deep, 384 00:19:53,583 --> 00:19:56,166 three times the size of the Grand Canyon. 385 00:19:56,249 --> 00:19:58,625 When the swell comes down on the canyon, 386 00:19:58,708 --> 00:20:02,708 it moves faster and gets compressed. 387 00:20:02,792 --> 00:20:06,792 And that's what draws the waves and magnifies them. 388 00:20:06,875 --> 00:20:08,999 They cross up at the right time, 389 00:20:09,083 --> 00:20:11,792 and it just creates this wedge. 390 00:20:11,875 --> 00:20:16,083 40-to 60-foot wave is all of a sudden 80-plus. 391 00:20:16,166 --> 00:20:19,708 These waves come out of a 10,000-foot deep trench 392 00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:22,208 and just lurch up out of the ocean. 393 00:20:22,291 --> 00:20:25,708 I mean, they're basically sea monsters. 394 00:20:25,792 --> 00:20:30,625 The scariest thing overall is the unpredictability. 395 00:20:31,291 --> 00:20:34,541 It's a 100-foot beach break, and it's over sand. 396 00:20:34,625 --> 00:20:37,375 What that means is waves break everywhere. 397 00:20:37,458 --> 00:20:40,999 There's almost no predictability to it, 398 00:20:41,083 --> 00:20:43,958 whereas Jaws is a solid reef bottom, 399 00:20:44,041 --> 00:20:45,476 and the wave'll break in the same spot 400 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:48,208 just about every time. 401 00:20:48,291 --> 00:20:51,124 Nazaré is very different 402 00:20:51,208 --> 00:20:53,416 than almost any other spot in the world. 403 00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:59,249 Jaws, Waimea Bay, Mavericks, they all have a big channel, 404 00:20:59,333 --> 00:21:01,750 which is a spot off to the side 405 00:21:01,833 --> 00:21:04,667 where the water's super deep where waves will never break. 406 00:21:04,750 --> 00:21:07,249 And you're able to sit there on your surfboard 407 00:21:07,333 --> 00:21:11,166 or in a boat or a jet ski and just watch what's going on. 408 00:21:11,249 --> 00:21:12,750 And if you do ride a wave, 409 00:21:12,833 --> 00:21:16,416 you can get off to safety rather quickly. 410 00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:19,500 Nazaré is different because there is no channel 411 00:21:19,583 --> 00:21:22,583 for you to go to where it's safe. 412 00:21:22,667 --> 00:21:25,625 Oftentimes you're going through the rinse cycle 413 00:21:25,708 --> 00:21:28,333 where you have to keep going through wall 414 00:21:28,416 --> 00:21:30,458 after wall of white water. 415 00:21:30,541 --> 00:21:34,708 - It looks totally unrideable. - There's no safe zones. 416 00:21:34,792 --> 00:21:37,291 I don't know how I was thinking 417 00:21:37,375 --> 00:21:44,291 that we could ride it, but luckily we stayed. 418 00:21:44,375 --> 00:21:46,750 So we have big storms forming in the northern part 419 00:21:46,833 --> 00:21:49,291 of the Atlantic and waves progressing from northwards. 420 00:21:49,375 --> 00:21:52,124 But this is a more typical winter condition for us. 421 00:21:52,208 --> 00:21:55,667 [speaking Portuguese] 422 00:22:10,708 --> 00:22:13,958 19, 20. We're in the canyon. 423 00:22:14,041 --> 00:22:17,333 We need a camera man right here. 424 00:22:17,416 --> 00:22:20,917 [speaking Portuguese] 425 00:22:34,041 --> 00:22:36,375 - That's the wave. - That's where it'll break. 426 00:22:36,458 --> 00:22:37,667 See the swell? 427 00:22:37,750 --> 00:22:39,333 Garrett came. 428 00:22:39,416 --> 00:22:42,708 He saw, really, the magic of Nazaré. 429 00:22:42,792 --> 00:22:45,625 And he literally put his life on hold, 430 00:22:45,708 --> 00:22:48,166 and he studied these waves. 431 00:22:48,249 --> 00:22:50,583 He learned these waves. He put the time in, 432 00:22:50,667 --> 00:22:53,333 because he believed in this place. 433 00:22:53,416 --> 00:22:56,041 I guess I was just really hungry for adventure 434 00:22:56,124 --> 00:22:58,792 at that time in my life. 435 00:22:58,875 --> 00:23:00,958 We got to see the wave out there. 436 00:23:01,041 --> 00:23:03,750 It's huge. I don't know. 437 00:23:03,833 --> 00:23:06,750 I think probably 100-feet waves are out there right now. 438 00:23:06,833 --> 00:23:10,458 Did anyone come here before Garrett? 439 00:23:10,541 --> 00:23:14,375 - Yes, of course. - A lot of surfers were here. 440 00:23:14,458 --> 00:23:17,708 And it was crazy, but nobody thought 441 00:23:17,792 --> 00:23:21,166 that it was possible to ride those waves. 442 00:23:21,249 --> 00:23:24,249 So the first time I witnessed Nazaré, 443 00:23:24,333 --> 00:23:26,708 it was in 2005. 444 00:23:26,792 --> 00:23:29,917 When we rocked up, it looked like 100 feet. 445 00:23:29,999 --> 00:23:33,083 Perfect pipeline... I'd never seen anything so perfect. 446 00:23:33,166 --> 00:23:35,708 And it looked like you could make the wave, 447 00:23:35,792 --> 00:23:37,142 but then I don't know what you're gonna do. 448 00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:40,375 You'd just get washed up onto the beach. 449 00:23:40,458 --> 00:23:43,083 Ross Clarke-Jones was pretty much my mentor 450 00:23:43,166 --> 00:23:45,083 when it came to huge waves. 451 00:23:45,166 --> 00:23:46,583 He's a pro. 452 00:23:46,667 --> 00:23:49,166 For some reason, he decided not to go out, 453 00:23:49,249 --> 00:23:51,750 I think mainly because it looked possible to ride 454 00:23:51,833 --> 00:23:53,958 but not possible to rescue. 455 00:23:54,041 --> 00:23:57,458 I regret not going out to get that one wave 456 00:23:57,541 --> 00:24:01,917 in Nazaré the first time, but the skis weren't right. 457 00:24:01,999 --> 00:24:04,458 They were like puddle jumpers back then. 458 00:24:04,541 --> 00:24:08,416 So no one was either keen or capable 459 00:24:08,500 --> 00:24:12,166 of trying to rescue someone back then. 460 00:24:19,875 --> 00:24:22,458 The first year we went to Portugal, 461 00:24:22,541 --> 00:24:26,291 we decided to build a brand with the town of Nazaré. 462 00:24:26,375 --> 00:24:29,166 It was called the North Canyon Project. 463 00:24:29,249 --> 00:24:32,291 When we built the project in 2010, 464 00:24:32,375 --> 00:24:35,833 Nazaré was really known and famous because of its summer, 465 00:24:35,917 --> 00:24:38,083 because it's a really beautiful place 466 00:24:38,166 --> 00:24:40,458 with a lot of traditions. 467 00:24:40,541 --> 00:24:42,667 The beach is amazing in summer. 468 00:24:42,750 --> 00:24:48,416 But during the winter days, it was a really quiet place. 469 00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:51,458 And that's why we built the project 470 00:24:51,541 --> 00:24:55,541 to show the waves to the world and to give reasons 471 00:24:55,625 --> 00:24:59,458 for the people to visit Nazaré also in the winter. 472 00:24:59,541 --> 00:25:01,500 Just like Jaws is on the map 473 00:25:01,583 --> 00:25:03,792 as one of the biggest waves in the world, 474 00:25:03,875 --> 00:25:07,458 Nazaré, the goal was to put it on the map also. 475 00:25:07,541 --> 00:25:09,249 Is that to go through the waves? 476 00:25:09,333 --> 00:25:11,291 Just like a knife to cut... 477 00:25:11,375 --> 00:25:12,833 - The waves? - The waves. 478 00:25:12,917 --> 00:25:16,333 There was no money, no sponsors, no nothing. 479 00:25:16,416 --> 00:25:21,416 What we did have was the full support of the city hall. 480 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:23,208 It's a big pleasure. 481 00:25:23,291 --> 00:25:25,333 [curious music] 482 00:25:25,416 --> 00:25:28,999 The first year was real barebones. 483 00:25:29,083 --> 00:25:32,166 The main guy was Paulo Caldeira. 484 00:25:32,249 --> 00:25:36,416 He is pretty much the only reason we made it to Nazaré 485 00:25:36,500 --> 00:25:38,458 because he organized it all. 486 00:25:38,541 --> 00:25:41,999 Then we had Pedro Pisco. He was our right hand. 487 00:25:42,083 --> 00:25:44,917 He was in charge of getting us where we needed to go, 488 00:25:44,999 --> 00:25:47,917 and what we needed to do, and how we needed to do it. 489 00:25:47,999 --> 00:25:50,917 Jorge Leal got brought in by the city hall 490 00:25:50,999 --> 00:25:53,208 to just document whatever we were doing. 491 00:25:53,291 --> 00:25:55,083 He was mainly a still photographer, 492 00:25:55,166 --> 00:25:57,999 but he knew how to hold a video camera. 493 00:25:58,083 --> 00:26:00,583 Celeste supported the North Canyon Project, 494 00:26:00,667 --> 00:26:03,792 and she gave us so much good food. 495 00:26:03,875 --> 00:26:05,750 Thank you. 496 00:26:05,833 --> 00:26:07,583 Then there was Pitbull. 497 00:26:07,667 --> 00:26:10,166 When Garrett arrived to Nazaré, was like, 498 00:26:10,249 --> 00:26:15,208 everything was new and different for us. 499 00:26:15,291 --> 00:26:17,541 And he started putting people in places. 500 00:26:17,625 --> 00:26:21,249 And he decided that I should be a safety driver. 501 00:26:21,333 --> 00:26:25,541 I never had went on a jet ski almost all my life, 502 00:26:25,625 --> 00:26:27,917 so I was learning. 503 00:26:27,999 --> 00:26:31,458 Garrett taught all these guys how to handle a ski, 504 00:26:31,541 --> 00:26:34,249 and how to take care of a ski, how to maintain a ski, 505 00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:37,583 how to put the sled on, how to put the straps on. 506 00:26:37,667 --> 00:26:40,375 That was all from the first project. 507 00:26:40,458 --> 00:26:43,375 We were such a tight team. 508 00:26:43,458 --> 00:26:46,917 We did everything together, planned everything together. 509 00:26:46,999 --> 00:26:49,083 The early days was really easy. 510 00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:51,291 It was just us, so there was no distractions. 511 00:26:51,375 --> 00:26:52,958 - Yeah! - All right. 512 00:26:53,041 --> 00:26:56,083 There weren't very many people or businesses 513 00:26:56,166 --> 00:26:59,249 that supported the project in the first early years 514 00:26:59,333 --> 00:27:03,083 because they didn't believe what was out there. 515 00:27:03,166 --> 00:27:04,999 Hey, Garrett. 516 00:27:05,083 --> 00:27:08,458 - This is Lino. - Nice to meet you. 517 00:27:08,541 --> 00:27:11,875 But Lino believed in what we were doing 518 00:27:11,958 --> 00:27:13,792 and saw what was possible. 519 00:27:13,875 --> 00:27:16,875 [speaking Portuguese] 520 00:27:37,375 --> 00:27:40,750 Lino did work for the city hall basically. 521 00:27:40,833 --> 00:27:42,291 When the project came in, 522 00:27:42,375 --> 00:27:44,583 the city hall didn't have money to fund anything, 523 00:27:44,667 --> 00:27:48,124 so Lino actually supported everything. 524 00:27:48,208 --> 00:27:51,249 [speaking Portuguese] 525 00:28:10,416 --> 00:28:14,917 Nazaré was a small village, fisherman village. 526 00:28:16,708 --> 00:28:19,166 In the past, there was no harbor, 527 00:28:19,249 --> 00:28:22,458 and the boats had to enter on the sand. 528 00:28:22,541 --> 00:28:26,500 The big waves, they put fear on the fishermen. 529 00:28:26,583 --> 00:28:32,041 Many times fishermen died doing that process. 530 00:28:32,124 --> 00:28:36,708 My great-great-grandfather died on the sea. 531 00:28:36,792 --> 00:28:40,083 And that's the history of most of the families of Nazaré. 532 00:29:02,333 --> 00:29:05,333 [speaking Portuguese] 533 00:29:17,667 --> 00:29:21,041 - The scariest day was... - Garrett didn't know the place 534 00:29:21,124 --> 00:29:22,583 very well yet. 535 00:29:22,667 --> 00:29:25,541 He was by himself without a jet ski, 536 00:29:25,625 --> 00:29:29,625 and he was like, oh, I'm gonna stand up paddle 537 00:29:29,708 --> 00:29:31,583 from the village all the way around, 538 00:29:31,667 --> 00:29:34,083 and I'll catch a small wave on the other side, 539 00:29:34,166 --> 00:29:35,750 and I'll come in. 540 00:29:35,833 --> 00:29:40,291 And he decided to do this in his board shorts in November. 541 00:29:40,375 --> 00:29:43,458 The day that Garrett decided he wanted to surf, 542 00:29:43,541 --> 00:29:45,917 the waves were not that big, 543 00:29:45,999 --> 00:29:49,500 but the inside was so much current, 544 00:29:49,583 --> 00:29:51,083 and I tried to stop him, but he did, 545 00:29:51,166 --> 00:29:52,476 "No, no, no, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going. 546 00:29:52,500 --> 00:29:56,291 People, trust me. I'll do it, I'll do it." 547 00:29:56,375 --> 00:30:00,416 So he paddles around, he catches a wave, 548 00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:02,124 and he wipes out. 549 00:30:02,208 --> 00:30:03,792 [dramatic music] 550 00:30:03,875 --> 00:30:06,458 Ah, oh, no... 551 00:30:06,541 --> 00:30:10,750 ♪ ♪ 552 00:30:10,833 --> 00:30:14,333 I was panicking. 553 00:30:14,416 --> 00:30:18,124 I was thinking that he wouldn't make it. 554 00:30:18,208 --> 00:30:20,750 I was swimming in, and it kept sucking me back out. 555 00:30:20,833 --> 00:30:22,625 Swim in, sucking back out. 556 00:30:22,708 --> 00:30:25,667 I was getting very winded. 557 00:30:25,750 --> 00:30:30,291 He had a really hard time getting to the beach. 558 00:30:30,375 --> 00:30:32,500 He was exhausted. 559 00:30:32,583 --> 00:30:34,375 If he didn't make it to the beach, like, 560 00:30:34,458 --> 00:30:36,041 we didn't have a jet ski. 561 00:30:36,124 --> 00:30:38,392 There was nobody to save him 'cause there was nobody here. 562 00:30:38,416 --> 00:30:41,333 He would have just been swept to sea. 563 00:30:41,416 --> 00:30:43,333 ♪ ♪ 564 00:30:43,416 --> 00:30:46,999 I think that day was decisive for him 565 00:30:47,083 --> 00:30:50,667 to learn what Nazaré is all about. 566 00:30:50,750 --> 00:30:53,124 This wave is powerful. 567 00:30:53,208 --> 00:30:55,333 This is nothing to mess around with. 568 00:30:55,416 --> 00:30:57,500 You gotta have a really good driver. 569 00:30:57,583 --> 00:31:00,500 You gotta know exactly what you're doing. 570 00:31:00,583 --> 00:31:02,166 It's so gnarly. 571 00:31:02,249 --> 00:31:05,041 That showed Garrett the respect that you have 572 00:31:05,124 --> 00:31:06,999 to have when you go out there. 573 00:31:07,083 --> 00:31:10,333 Go that way. 574 00:31:10,416 --> 00:31:14,833 My only concern, it's the safety of everybody. 575 00:31:14,917 --> 00:31:19,249 I was really concerned about what I did, 576 00:31:19,333 --> 00:31:21,124 sending the picture to Garrett, 577 00:31:21,208 --> 00:31:23,083 inviting Garrett to come. 578 00:31:23,166 --> 00:31:26,041 And I have all the weight in my shoulders 579 00:31:26,124 --> 00:31:29,541 of the responsibility of if something bad happens 580 00:31:29,625 --> 00:31:31,583 to someone. 581 00:31:31,667 --> 00:31:33,833 - Don't go now, Garrett. - I'm just gonna look. 582 00:31:33,917 --> 00:31:36,375 - Garrett! - I'm just gonna look. 583 00:31:36,458 --> 00:31:38,625 - Garrett... - You might fall 584 00:31:38,708 --> 00:31:41,583 - because the rocks are, um... - Wet. 585 00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:43,375 - What, slippery? - Yeah, slippery. 586 00:31:43,458 --> 00:31:47,041 - Nah. - [indistinct chatter] 587 00:31:47,124 --> 00:31:50,458 Be careful 'cause the rocks might... 588 00:31:52,249 --> 00:31:53,792 Go down, go down! 589 00:31:53,875 --> 00:31:57,625 We were a little afraid of what could happen. 590 00:31:57,708 --> 00:31:58,958 [indistinct chatter] 591 00:31:59,041 --> 00:32:01,917 We didn't know Garrett that well, 592 00:32:01,999 --> 00:32:04,792 and we thought that if this goes wrong, 593 00:32:04,875 --> 00:32:07,917 somebody's gonna die. 594 00:32:08,875 --> 00:32:13,416 We knew that all the big wave spots around the world 595 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:16,083 already had guys dying. 596 00:32:16,166 --> 00:32:18,083 The power of the wild California waves 597 00:32:18,166 --> 00:32:20,750 has been a magnet for surfers from all over the world. 598 00:32:20,833 --> 00:32:23,708 Tonight one of the very best, Mark Foo, has died. 599 00:32:23,792 --> 00:32:27,333 32-year-old Kirk Passmore of Hale'iwa was last seen 600 00:32:27,416 --> 00:32:29,958 wiping out on a huge wave. 601 00:32:30,041 --> 00:32:32,416 Amid the wild waves, a tragedy, 602 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:35,583 a surfer found floating face down and unconscious 603 00:32:35,667 --> 00:32:38,917 in Stillwater Cove. 604 00:32:38,999 --> 00:32:42,124 We knew that guys died here and there, 605 00:32:42,208 --> 00:32:46,875 and we thought Nazaré was more dangerous. 606 00:32:46,958 --> 00:32:49,667 If somebody dies, somebody's gonna come to us 607 00:32:49,750 --> 00:32:53,333 and say, "What the hell? What did you guys do?" 608 00:32:58,458 --> 00:33:03,124 On the first day that Garrett went out, 609 00:33:03,208 --> 00:33:06,833 it really was giant, and we were on 610 00:33:06,917 --> 00:33:10,375 the top of the lighthouse just shaking. 611 00:33:10,458 --> 00:33:12,833 We were, like, really scared 612 00:33:12,917 --> 00:33:15,333 because we were responsible for that. 613 00:33:15,416 --> 00:33:19,375 We were on the cliff, and we were seeing the waves, 614 00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:21,999 and we were trying to guess the size. 615 00:33:22,083 --> 00:33:24,500 And then we saw the jet skis arriving, 616 00:33:24,583 --> 00:33:26,833 and because the jet skis were there, 617 00:33:26,917 --> 00:33:30,124 you have something to compare, you know, finally. 618 00:33:31,750 --> 00:33:36,833 And we were all looking at each other like, what is this? 619 00:33:36,917 --> 00:33:40,708 The waves were looking huge. 620 00:33:40,792 --> 00:33:43,667 When we saw Garrett on the water, 621 00:33:43,750 --> 00:33:46,166 we finally understood the size of those waves. 622 00:33:46,249 --> 00:33:49,166 Okay, go! 623 00:33:49,249 --> 00:33:56,208 ♪ ♪ 624 00:33:59,583 --> 00:34:02,583 [cheering] 625 00:34:05,625 --> 00:34:09,416 When Garrett caught the wave, it was magical. 626 00:34:11,583 --> 00:34:14,458 We were like, the guy survived. 627 00:34:15,792 --> 00:34:17,875 For us, was like a dream come true 628 00:34:17,958 --> 00:34:21,249 because we really didn't know if that could be possible 629 00:34:21,333 --> 00:34:24,833 or not, if somebody could surf that or not. 630 00:34:24,917 --> 00:34:28,291 We understood that we have found the gold. 631 00:34:29,958 --> 00:34:33,375 Then we went to the harbor, and he was so relaxed, like, 632 00:34:33,458 --> 00:34:36,208 "Ah, this is doable. This is nice." 633 00:34:36,291 --> 00:34:38,291 ♪ ♪ 634 00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:40,500 [indistinct chatter] 635 00:34:40,583 --> 00:34:43,625 [cheering] 636 00:34:43,708 --> 00:34:46,708 [applause] 637 00:34:48,667 --> 00:34:51,416 Garrett fell in love with Nazaré. 638 00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:53,249 Oh, the corner must be fun right now. 639 00:34:53,333 --> 00:34:54,917 Look, see those little waves? 640 00:34:54,999 --> 00:34:59,249 So we stayed that first year learning as much as possible. 641 00:34:59,333 --> 00:35:02,583 Look at how beautiful it is. 642 00:35:02,667 --> 00:35:06,917 During that time, my brother came to Nazaré 643 00:35:06,999 --> 00:35:08,667 to surf with Garrett. 644 00:35:08,750 --> 00:35:12,249 2010, yes. 645 00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:17,667 Yeah, in 2010, that was my first time to Nazaré. 646 00:35:18,500 --> 00:35:22,583 I actually was in Guadalajara, Spain, 647 00:35:22,667 --> 00:35:25,750 and I was playing a season of volleyball there. 648 00:35:25,833 --> 00:35:28,667 Garrett said, "Yeah, come by for the weekend." 649 00:35:28,750 --> 00:35:31,958 So I went for three days over to Nazaré. 650 00:35:32,041 --> 00:35:35,500 We had surfed together, and he said, 651 00:35:35,583 --> 00:35:37,833 "You know, you surf well enough. 652 00:35:37,917 --> 00:35:39,958 "I can teach you how to drive the jet ski. 653 00:35:40,041 --> 00:35:41,291 "I can tow you in 654 00:35:41,375 --> 00:35:42,893 "some of the biggest waves of your life, 655 00:35:42,917 --> 00:35:45,833 and, you know, you can just learn." 656 00:35:45,917 --> 00:35:48,667 - Oh, yeah! - He say, we say. 657 00:35:48,750 --> 00:35:51,291 And I was just blown away. 658 00:35:51,375 --> 00:35:53,124 I didn't know what was going on. 659 00:35:53,208 --> 00:35:54,291 I ain't tying it too much. 660 00:35:54,375 --> 00:35:56,375 You with the He-Man grip, the gorilla grip. 661 00:35:56,458 --> 00:35:58,291 - Your hand... - You got the grip. 662 00:35:58,375 --> 00:36:00,999 Give me your hand. 663 00:36:01,083 --> 00:36:03,166 - Fuck, man. - You got more meat. 664 00:36:03,249 --> 00:36:04,999 Yours are like salchichas. 665 00:36:05,083 --> 00:36:06,458 [laughs] 666 00:36:06,541 --> 00:36:10,208 My first impression of the waves was, 667 00:36:10,291 --> 00:36:12,500 why are we here? Like, what am I looking at? 668 00:36:12,583 --> 00:36:14,917 You know, can I be out in those waves and have fun 669 00:36:14,999 --> 00:36:16,792 and not just be getting washed around? 670 00:36:16,875 --> 00:36:19,249 And it was mostly just faith in Garrett at that point. 671 00:36:19,333 --> 00:36:21,166 I'm the only guy you listen to out here, 672 00:36:21,249 --> 00:36:22,559 and I'm the only guy who pretty much talks 673 00:36:22,583 --> 00:36:24,083 unless you have a question. 674 00:36:24,166 --> 00:36:26,291 Nobody tells anybody what to do except me. 675 00:36:26,375 --> 00:36:28,833 - I'm seri... I'm not joking. - I know, I'm sorry. 676 00:36:28,917 --> 00:36:30,500 I know. 677 00:36:30,583 --> 00:36:32,041 Only time you don't listen to me 678 00:36:32,124 --> 00:36:34,500 is if you're absolutely 100% sure 679 00:36:34,583 --> 00:36:37,999 that what I'm telling you to do is gonna kill you. 680 00:36:38,083 --> 00:36:40,333 Other than that, you listen to me in the water. 681 00:36:40,416 --> 00:36:41,500 All right. 682 00:36:41,583 --> 00:36:43,375 He hadn't steered me wrong, 683 00:36:43,458 --> 00:36:45,917 and he still hasn't, really. 684 00:36:45,999 --> 00:36:47,999 He was just egging me to go out and, 685 00:36:48,083 --> 00:36:50,225 "This is what we're gonna do, so I'll put you on the wave. 686 00:36:50,249 --> 00:36:52,458 We do this, super easy. We go catch some waves." 687 00:36:52,541 --> 00:36:54,875 I'm like, "All right, let's do it." 688 00:36:54,958 --> 00:36:57,041 Just take your time and relax! 689 00:36:57,124 --> 00:36:58,625 Yeah! 690 00:36:58,708 --> 00:37:01,375 Hey, stay here! You're gonna go like that! 691 00:37:01,458 --> 00:37:05,208 Whoo-hoo, go! 692 00:37:05,291 --> 00:37:07,541 Cut back, cut back! 693 00:37:07,625 --> 00:37:10,041 ♪ ♪ 694 00:37:10,124 --> 00:37:13,541 - Whoo-hoo! - That's your brother! 695 00:37:13,625 --> 00:37:16,375 Yee-haw! 696 00:37:16,458 --> 00:37:18,249 - How was that? - That was perfect. 697 00:37:18,333 --> 00:37:20,541 [laughs] 698 00:37:20,625 --> 00:37:23,041 So yeah, he brought me out into the waves, 699 00:37:23,124 --> 00:37:25,875 and I just got a couple waves. 700 00:37:25,958 --> 00:37:29,041 He drives so perfect. He put me right on the spot. 701 00:37:29,124 --> 00:37:32,249 15 feet, 20 feet at the biggest, the face. 702 00:37:32,333 --> 00:37:35,917 And yeah, that was my first tow-in experience, 703 00:37:35,999 --> 00:37:38,249 getting a little bit bigger waves. 704 00:37:38,333 --> 00:37:41,083 ♪ ♪ 705 00:37:41,166 --> 00:37:43,583 So we just got done towing, 706 00:37:43,667 --> 00:37:46,708 and CJ went out for his first time. 707 00:37:46,792 --> 00:37:50,625 - How was it out there, CJ? - I am officially hooked. 708 00:37:50,708 --> 00:37:53,500 I gotta work on my upper body strength a little bit though. 709 00:37:53,583 --> 00:37:54,792 I couldn't hold on any longer. 710 00:37:54,875 --> 00:37:56,955 Just the stamina, you just gotta do it a few times. 711 00:37:56,999 --> 00:37:59,875 I was getting that choppy, smacking feeling on the drop, 712 00:37:59,958 --> 00:38:01,124 going pretty fast. 713 00:38:01,208 --> 00:38:03,083 The hardest place in the world to train. 714 00:38:03,166 --> 00:38:06,583 If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere. 715 00:38:06,667 --> 00:38:11,083 Technically, I'm the first girl to ever tow surf Nazaré. 716 00:38:11,166 --> 00:38:14,667 My dad's a surfer, so I grew up surfing small waves, 717 00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:16,667 but I love stand up paddling, 718 00:38:16,750 --> 00:38:19,667 and I love stand up paddle surfing. 719 00:38:19,750 --> 00:38:23,625 The day Garrett took me out, it was not a pretty day. 720 00:38:23,708 --> 00:38:27,291 It was freezing cold. It was stormy. 721 00:38:27,375 --> 00:38:28,875 And he says to me, 722 00:38:28,958 --> 00:38:32,999 "Don't worry, we'll just tow around a little." 723 00:38:33,083 --> 00:38:36,124 And then this wave just came out of nowhere. 724 00:38:36,208 --> 00:38:37,541 He's pulling me up. 725 00:38:37,625 --> 00:38:39,958 I'm not even fully up... Standing up, and he's saying, 726 00:38:40,041 --> 00:38:43,124 "Go, go!" and he's like, "Let go!" 727 00:38:43,208 --> 00:38:44,667 So I held on too long, 728 00:38:44,750 --> 00:38:47,833 and it, like, flung me down the wave. 729 00:38:47,917 --> 00:38:49,625 But I was like a stone. 730 00:38:49,708 --> 00:38:51,667 I just skipped on the face of this wave. 731 00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:54,416 And then you can see I go over the falls, 732 00:38:54,500 --> 00:38:57,541 and you can see my little arm, like, sticking out of the wave 733 00:38:57,625 --> 00:38:59,833 when it's crashing down. 734 00:38:59,917 --> 00:39:01,333 ♪ ♪ 735 00:39:01,416 --> 00:39:05,500 I was kind of disoriented 'cause I was so cold. 736 00:39:05,583 --> 00:39:08,416 And then at that point, I was kind of towards shore, 737 00:39:08,500 --> 00:39:10,333 and he's like, "Stand up!" 738 00:39:10,416 --> 00:39:12,500 But, like, it's just sucking you back out to sea. 739 00:39:12,583 --> 00:39:14,667 It doesn't spit you out. 740 00:39:14,750 --> 00:39:18,458 [tense music] 741 00:39:18,541 --> 00:39:20,500 And then finally I got far enough up 742 00:39:20,583 --> 00:39:23,166 that this little wave, like, came and, like, pushed me up. 743 00:39:23,249 --> 00:39:24,708 And you can see me like a starfish, 744 00:39:24,792 --> 00:39:27,333 just, like, floating. 745 00:39:27,416 --> 00:39:28,708 ♪ ♪ 746 00:39:28,792 --> 00:39:32,375 I couldn't breathe for, like, three days. 747 00:39:32,458 --> 00:39:33,875 I really have PTSD. 748 00:39:33,958 --> 00:39:36,792 Like, just going out on small waves freaks me out. 749 00:39:36,875 --> 00:39:39,333 I love to breathe, and I just don't want 750 00:39:39,416 --> 00:39:41,792 to be held underwater. 751 00:39:41,875 --> 00:39:44,667 I love breathing so much. 752 00:39:44,750 --> 00:39:47,625 People really take it for granted. 753 00:39:53,458 --> 00:39:55,833 [indistinct chatter] 754 00:39:58,458 --> 00:40:00,249 Where is Chris? Where was Chris going? 755 00:40:00,333 --> 00:40:01,917 He's gonna go dive with Billy. 756 00:40:01,999 --> 00:40:04,708 For a husband and wife who work together, 757 00:40:04,792 --> 00:40:08,083 we've learned how to really effectively communicate 758 00:40:08,166 --> 00:40:09,375 with each other. 759 00:40:09,458 --> 00:40:10,708 So this is really cool. 760 00:40:10,792 --> 00:40:12,041 Garrett is an idea man, 761 00:40:12,124 --> 00:40:14,541 and I'm more of the practical woman, 762 00:40:14,625 --> 00:40:17,249 so sometimes the idea, and the practicality, 763 00:40:17,333 --> 00:40:19,708 and the logic interfere. 764 00:40:19,792 --> 00:40:23,541 But we have an amazing life, 765 00:40:23,625 --> 00:40:27,458 and we've been really, really blessed. 766 00:40:30,249 --> 00:40:31,792 There's one spot around the corner 767 00:40:31,875 --> 00:40:33,958 that's one of the most beautiful places in the world. 768 00:40:34,041 --> 00:40:38,291 There's a pod of dolphins that we hang out with a lot. 769 00:40:38,375 --> 00:40:41,249 [warm music] 770 00:40:41,333 --> 00:40:45,500 ♪ ♪ 771 00:40:45,583 --> 00:40:48,124 Swimming with the dolphins here in Hawaii is 772 00:40:48,208 --> 00:40:51,124 just euphoric. 773 00:40:51,208 --> 00:40:54,708 You're just connecting with nature 774 00:40:54,792 --> 00:40:56,625 in the ocean, in the saltwater. 775 00:40:56,708 --> 00:40:58,750 ♪ ♪ 776 00:40:58,833 --> 00:41:00,750 Just super special... 777 00:41:00,833 --> 00:41:02,875 ♪ ♪ 778 00:41:02,958 --> 00:41:05,792 Especially with the family. 779 00:41:05,875 --> 00:41:10,458 ♪ ♪ 780 00:41:10,541 --> 00:41:14,249 Oh, no! 781 00:41:14,333 --> 00:41:17,458 Garrett's very intense, 782 00:41:17,541 --> 00:41:19,124 but, at the same time, 783 00:41:19,208 --> 00:41:24,625 he's a very loving, caring, sensitive person. 784 00:41:24,708 --> 00:41:27,541 And he loves his family. 785 00:41:27,625 --> 00:41:30,333 I really don't know any other big wave surfer 786 00:41:30,416 --> 00:41:33,958 who travels with his family the way we do. 787 00:41:34,041 --> 00:41:37,500 But it's challenging for him for sure. 788 00:41:37,583 --> 00:41:41,792 Garrett's not at peace with himself. 789 00:41:41,875 --> 00:41:45,333 I feel a deep sense of responsibility. 790 00:41:45,416 --> 00:41:46,999 ♪ ♪ 791 00:41:47,083 --> 00:41:52,208 I should just focus more on my family and being present. 792 00:41:52,291 --> 00:41:56,041 But I just still feel like I need to do more 793 00:41:56,124 --> 00:41:57,667 for some reason. 794 00:41:57,750 --> 00:42:04,083 ♪ ♪ 795 00:42:04,166 --> 00:42:07,166 I know my purpose. 796 00:42:07,249 --> 00:42:09,667 It's riding big waves. 797 00:42:09,750 --> 00:42:13,083 ♪ ♪ 798 00:42:23,999 --> 00:42:26,208 That's a good swell. 799 00:42:26,291 --> 00:42:29,208 So this big swell was coming, and we're like, 800 00:42:29,291 --> 00:42:31,541 okay, who's Garrett gonna work with? 801 00:42:31,625 --> 00:42:33,833 We needed somebody with experience 802 00:42:33,917 --> 00:42:36,208 to drive... jet ski. 803 00:42:36,291 --> 00:42:38,875 I definitely wasn't towing him in, 804 00:42:38,958 --> 00:42:42,458 especially after my episode, and 805 00:42:42,541 --> 00:42:46,166 we heard about this Irish tow team. 806 00:42:47,917 --> 00:42:49,750 Big wave riding is an opportunity 807 00:42:49,833 --> 00:42:52,541 that even the most experienced surfer might turn down, 808 00:42:52,625 --> 00:42:54,208 but for two Plymouth surfers, 809 00:42:54,291 --> 00:42:56,708 it's more a case of the bigger, the better. 810 00:42:56,792 --> 00:42:58,952 Normally you have to sort of travel to the other side 811 00:42:58,999 --> 00:43:01,041 of the world to surf waves that sort of size. 812 00:43:01,124 --> 00:43:03,249 You know, Hawaii, Australia, places like that. 813 00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:05,291 But it's sort of surprising 814 00:43:05,375 --> 00:43:08,750 that they're actually right in your backyard. 815 00:43:08,833 --> 00:43:10,833 We were sort of surfing big waves... 816 00:43:10,917 --> 00:43:12,917 Trying to surf big waves, 817 00:43:12,999 --> 00:43:15,875 but there wasn't really any professional big wave surfers 818 00:43:15,958 --> 00:43:18,124 in Ireland at the time, so we didn't have anyone 819 00:43:18,208 --> 00:43:20,875 to show us or tell us anything 820 00:43:20,958 --> 00:43:22,583 about how to set a jet ski up. 821 00:43:22,667 --> 00:43:25,458 We were just watching YouTube videos and trying 822 00:43:25,541 --> 00:43:28,083 to work out how you tow surf. 823 00:43:28,166 --> 00:43:30,583 At that time, these big waves, 824 00:43:30,667 --> 00:43:32,917 they only existed in people's minds 825 00:43:32,999 --> 00:43:35,291 in Hawaii and California. 826 00:43:35,375 --> 00:43:37,708 They didn't exist in Ireland. 827 00:43:37,792 --> 00:43:40,416 Before I met Cotton, I was struggling 828 00:43:40,500 --> 00:43:42,667 to find somebody who had the same sort of vision as me, 829 00:43:42,750 --> 00:43:44,625 that wanted to ride bigger waves. 830 00:43:44,708 --> 00:43:47,999 And I was sponsored by a company who made surfboards. 831 00:43:48,083 --> 00:43:51,958 And Cotton was the guy that fixed the surfboards. 832 00:43:52,041 --> 00:43:55,458 And he also was working on a building site 833 00:43:55,541 --> 00:43:57,208 as a plumber's apprentice at the time. 834 00:43:57,291 --> 00:43:59,375 He told me he'd ridden a couple big waves. 835 00:43:59,458 --> 00:44:01,999 And he wanted to come over and see what this was like. 836 00:44:02,083 --> 00:44:04,124 So anyway, I invited him over. 837 00:44:05,208 --> 00:44:09,208 So within about the first week of Cotton coming to Ireland, 838 00:44:09,291 --> 00:44:12,291 I took him out to Mullaghmore Head 839 00:44:12,375 --> 00:44:14,875 'cause there was a gigantic swell coming. 840 00:44:16,958 --> 00:44:19,458 - We're gonna go tow surfing. - Should be fun. 841 00:44:19,541 --> 00:44:21,917 [laughs] 842 00:44:21,999 --> 00:44:23,166 I'd never driven a jet ski, 843 00:44:23,249 --> 00:44:25,750 and I wasn't the quickest learner. 844 00:44:25,833 --> 00:44:29,291 I was having a terrible time. 845 00:44:29,375 --> 00:44:31,667 He was struggling to get me on the waves. 846 00:44:31,750 --> 00:44:33,059 So I then got on the jet ski and said, 847 00:44:33,083 --> 00:44:34,792 "Look, I'll put you on a couple waves." 848 00:44:34,875 --> 00:44:36,583 And like that, bang, bang, bang, 849 00:44:36,667 --> 00:44:38,166 and he got like three waves. 850 00:44:38,249 --> 00:44:40,333 Then he's like, "Right, I want to get you on one." 851 00:44:40,416 --> 00:44:43,333 He gets on the ski, and there was a big wave coming through. 852 00:44:43,416 --> 00:44:45,541 Like, it was proper Mullaghmore 40-foot, 853 00:44:45,625 --> 00:44:48,166 thick, big, angry thing. 854 00:44:48,249 --> 00:44:51,833 I remember, like, in slow motion just thinking, 855 00:44:51,917 --> 00:44:54,958 like, "This is going terribly wrong." 856 00:44:55,041 --> 00:44:57,333 [tense music] 857 00:44:57,416 --> 00:44:59,416 No! 858 00:44:59,500 --> 00:45:01,500 - Oh, no! - Ahh! 859 00:45:01,583 --> 00:45:03,458 - Oh, my God! - [screaming] 860 00:45:03,541 --> 00:45:06,166 - Fuck, fuck, fuck! - Oh, God, fuck. 861 00:45:06,249 --> 00:45:08,541 Jesus. 862 00:45:08,625 --> 00:45:13,583 The wave had, like, swung wide out to like 100 meters, 863 00:45:13,667 --> 00:45:18,583 and I couldn't outrun it, and I was like, 864 00:45:18,667 --> 00:45:22,375 I've gotta get off the ski... I'll jump. 865 00:45:22,458 --> 00:45:26,416 He positioned the ski where I should've been, 866 00:45:26,500 --> 00:45:30,208 and basically, he went for the surf with the ski, 867 00:45:30,291 --> 00:45:31,541 and I didn't. 868 00:45:31,625 --> 00:45:33,875 When I look back at that footage, 869 00:45:33,958 --> 00:45:36,583 it's like, what are you doing? Like, there's no... 870 00:45:36,667 --> 00:45:38,434 But we didn't... I didn't know what I was doing. 871 00:45:38,458 --> 00:45:40,375 I'm paddling. 872 00:45:40,458 --> 00:45:41,851 It took me about 20 minutes to get back to shore. 873 00:45:41,875 --> 00:45:44,041 And then I spotted the ski and him on top of it 874 00:45:44,124 --> 00:45:45,708 way out off the coast. 875 00:45:45,792 --> 00:45:47,583 The jet ski wouldn't start. 876 00:45:47,667 --> 00:45:49,107 Somebody who happened to be onlooking 877 00:45:49,166 --> 00:45:52,208 from a nearby house called the Coast Guard. 878 00:45:52,291 --> 00:45:54,708 Helicopter's now overhead. 879 00:45:55,999 --> 00:45:58,416 They removed him from the jet ski 880 00:45:58,500 --> 00:46:02,249 and took him out of there, but the ski was gone, disappeared. 881 00:46:02,333 --> 00:46:04,792 That was the end of it. 882 00:46:04,875 --> 00:46:08,625 It was a pinnacle point because for me, it was like, 883 00:46:08,708 --> 00:46:10,583 give up now, just, like, sack it all off, 884 00:46:10,667 --> 00:46:12,249 and just actually ask for your job back, 885 00:46:12,333 --> 00:46:14,249 and go out, you know. 886 00:46:14,333 --> 00:46:18,041 Or, you know, you gotta really make it happen. 887 00:46:26,583 --> 00:46:28,541 It was actually, like, thanks to Al. 888 00:46:28,625 --> 00:46:30,184 He was like, "Oh, no, we're gonna do this. 889 00:46:30,208 --> 00:46:31,541 "We'll get a new ski 890 00:46:31,625 --> 00:46:33,465 and we'll, you know... We'll come back harder." 891 00:46:33,500 --> 00:46:37,999 So we surfed big waves in Ireland for two years 892 00:46:38,083 --> 00:46:41,792 or three years. 893 00:46:41,875 --> 00:46:45,833 And then that's when Garrett reached out to me and Al. 894 00:46:45,917 --> 00:46:49,958 October 2010, we had surfed this new location 895 00:46:50,041 --> 00:46:52,500 off the coast, and it was really big, 896 00:46:52,583 --> 00:46:55,708 really perfect, and it got a lot of media attention. 897 00:46:55,792 --> 00:46:58,249 And at that time, Garrett was in Portugal, 898 00:46:58,333 --> 00:46:59,833 and I think he'd seen this. 899 00:46:59,917 --> 00:47:03,208 Look at that! Holy shit. 900 00:47:03,291 --> 00:47:05,291 And at the time, I believe he was struggling 901 00:47:05,375 --> 00:47:08,500 to find people who wanted to surf Nazaré. 902 00:47:08,583 --> 00:47:10,750 When Garrett went to Nazaré the first time, 903 00:47:10,833 --> 00:47:13,625 I was actually doing the stand up paddle world tour, 904 00:47:13,708 --> 00:47:17,333 and I can remember him asking me to join him to go. 905 00:47:17,416 --> 00:47:20,208 I think he couldn't find anybody else to go at the time. 906 00:47:20,291 --> 00:47:23,041 He was out telling me and all the guys here were like, 907 00:47:23,124 --> 00:47:24,792 "Uh, no, I'm not going there." 908 00:47:24,875 --> 00:47:26,291 Yeah, yeah, okay, sure, 909 00:47:26,375 --> 00:47:28,041 there's a giant wave in Portugal. 910 00:47:28,124 --> 00:47:31,708 I don't like cold water and halfway around the world, 911 00:47:31,792 --> 00:47:33,500 it's like, ahh... no. 912 00:47:33,583 --> 00:47:38,124 I tried to recruit a bunch of people, lot of people. 913 00:47:38,208 --> 00:47:39,667 Nobody came. 914 00:47:39,750 --> 00:47:42,333 I don't think I'd met Garrett before this point, 915 00:47:42,416 --> 00:47:46,166 but when he phoned me, I-I immediately said yes. 916 00:47:46,249 --> 00:47:49,625 How do you feel your level of driving is? 917 00:47:57,583 --> 00:48:00,416 I was kind of out of my depth. 918 00:48:00,500 --> 00:48:04,083 I wasn't really that confident on the ski, 919 00:48:04,166 --> 00:48:06,333 and I think Garrett realized that. 920 00:48:06,416 --> 00:48:08,416 Like, I think he was on a search for people 921 00:48:08,500 --> 00:48:12,124 that were obviously good but also willing to learn. 922 00:48:12,208 --> 00:48:13,375 [indistinct chatter] 923 00:48:13,458 --> 00:48:15,541 Oh, you're pretty tall there. 924 00:48:15,625 --> 00:48:17,375 [laughter] 925 00:48:17,458 --> 00:48:20,208 Andrew Cotton and Al Mennie came. 926 00:48:20,291 --> 00:48:22,541 We became fast friends. 927 00:48:22,625 --> 00:48:25,875 Meeting Garrett was kind of surreal. 928 00:48:25,958 --> 00:48:30,041 We went from having the worst luck or driving skills ever 929 00:48:30,124 --> 00:48:33,458 to, like, being asked to drive around at Nazaré 930 00:48:33,541 --> 00:48:36,500 on a jet ski with one of your surfing heroes. 931 00:48:36,583 --> 00:48:38,875 Cool. 932 00:48:38,958 --> 00:48:41,917 That next morning, Garrett drove the car 933 00:48:41,999 --> 00:48:44,583 up the hill to the lighthouse, and at that time, 934 00:48:44,667 --> 00:48:46,792 the lighthouse was a kind of out of town area 935 00:48:46,875 --> 00:48:48,124 no one really went to. 936 00:48:48,208 --> 00:48:50,625 There's a dusty road down to this old fort 937 00:48:50,708 --> 00:48:52,792 down on a very prominent headland 938 00:48:52,875 --> 00:48:54,583 off the west coast of Portugal, 939 00:48:54,667 --> 00:48:55,768 and there's a real feeling about the west coast 940 00:48:55,792 --> 00:48:57,059 of Portugal and these big headlands. 941 00:48:57,083 --> 00:48:58,375 It's an end of the world feeling. 942 00:48:58,458 --> 00:48:59,975 You feel like you're on the edge of the world. 943 00:48:59,999 --> 00:49:01,643 You know what I mean? It's, like, it's raw. 944 00:49:01,667 --> 00:49:04,249 ♪ ♪ 945 00:49:04,333 --> 00:49:06,416 On that morning, I remember standing down there, 946 00:49:06,500 --> 00:49:08,958 and the explosions of the waves hitting the rock 947 00:49:09,041 --> 00:49:11,291 in front of the headland. 948 00:49:11,375 --> 00:49:14,291 It was, like... it was literally earth-shattering. 949 00:49:14,375 --> 00:49:16,416 ♪ ♪ 950 00:49:16,500 --> 00:49:19,083 It was going... [imitating waves crashing] 951 00:49:19,166 --> 00:49:21,166 And the waves were hitting this rock 952 00:49:21,249 --> 00:49:23,875 and pouring up over the top. 953 00:49:23,958 --> 00:49:26,041 It felt like it was almost reaching for us. 954 00:49:26,124 --> 00:49:28,249 It was, like, reaching up, and then as it got 955 00:49:28,333 --> 00:49:30,333 to the edge of the path, it just dropped down. 956 00:49:30,416 --> 00:49:32,291 And you were like, whoa. 957 00:49:32,375 --> 00:49:35,291 Garrett, he actually asked the question... he said, 958 00:49:35,375 --> 00:49:37,351 you are doing this for your own reasons, aren't you? 959 00:49:37,375 --> 00:49:39,625 That you're doing this 'cause you want to do this? 960 00:49:39,708 --> 00:49:41,792 Which made me realize he understood 961 00:49:41,875 --> 00:49:44,416 that this place is very, very dangerous. 962 00:49:44,500 --> 00:49:47,833 He understands the ocean in terms of big waves 963 00:49:47,917 --> 00:49:49,792 as well as, if not better than, 964 00:49:49,875 --> 00:49:51,792 any other big wave surfer on the planet. 965 00:49:51,875 --> 00:49:54,875 So for him to tell us that this is serious, 966 00:49:54,958 --> 00:49:56,917 this is dangerous, 967 00:49:56,999 --> 00:50:00,792 that really made me go, hmm, how dangerous is this? 968 00:50:00,875 --> 00:50:04,792 ♪ ♪ 969 00:50:04,875 --> 00:50:08,166 I think part of the reason that big wave surfing 970 00:50:08,249 --> 00:50:12,375 resonates with so many people is because everyone's been 971 00:50:12,458 --> 00:50:17,041 to the beach and played around in two-foot waves 972 00:50:17,124 --> 00:50:19,999 and been tossed around by this little wave 973 00:50:20,083 --> 00:50:22,833 that will hold you down against your will. 974 00:50:22,917 --> 00:50:26,667 And if a three-foot wave is gonna do that, 975 00:50:26,750 --> 00:50:29,708 what's a 60-foot wave going to do to me? 976 00:50:30,958 --> 00:50:34,625 Falling on a 60-plus-foot wave is like being 977 00:50:34,708 --> 00:50:37,833 in a car accident for a solid minute. 978 00:50:37,917 --> 00:50:41,208 It's just the most violent, ragdolling experience. 979 00:50:41,291 --> 00:50:44,041 If you try to fight it, you feel like your arms 980 00:50:44,124 --> 00:50:46,875 and legs are just gonna get ripped clean off. 981 00:50:46,958 --> 00:50:48,667 It is so much power. 982 00:50:48,750 --> 00:50:50,416 You're underwater getting beat, 983 00:50:50,500 --> 00:50:52,041 and you don't know which way's up. 984 00:50:52,124 --> 00:50:55,083 It gets dark down there, and you're just getting spun, 985 00:50:55,166 --> 00:50:57,416 and you just let your last breath out. 986 00:50:57,500 --> 00:50:58,684 There's always this feeling, oh, my God, 987 00:50:58,708 --> 00:51:00,875 is this ever gonna let up? 988 00:51:00,958 --> 00:51:03,583 It's really terrifying. 989 00:51:03,667 --> 00:51:07,625 The reality is that riding big waves is dangerous, 990 00:51:07,708 --> 00:51:10,708 and you can die from it, and people do. 991 00:51:10,792 --> 00:51:13,458 It's not a joke. 992 00:51:25,166 --> 00:51:28,333 [wheels squealing] 993 00:51:32,416 --> 00:51:34,750 [laughs] 994 00:51:34,833 --> 00:51:37,708 Whoo, nice! 995 00:51:40,208 --> 00:51:43,249 I got the rush fully, more than I do in the wave. 996 00:51:43,333 --> 00:51:45,833 - Just go, I'm done. - Yes, it's done. 997 00:51:45,917 --> 00:51:47,583 We're done. 998 00:51:47,667 --> 00:51:48,792 Coming from Ireland, 999 00:51:48,875 --> 00:51:51,124 I was a self-sufficient big wave surfer. 1000 00:51:51,208 --> 00:51:54,458 Everything I did was by myself. I organized everything myself. 1001 00:51:54,541 --> 00:51:57,124 But turning up in the harbor in Nazaré, 1002 00:51:57,208 --> 00:51:59,208 all these local Portuguese men, 1003 00:51:59,291 --> 00:52:00,875 they were setting up jet skis for us. 1004 00:52:00,958 --> 00:52:02,416 They were, like, towing them around, 1005 00:52:02,500 --> 00:52:04,667 putting them in the slip way. I was like, what is this? 1006 00:52:04,750 --> 00:52:07,958 I started to realize this was a huge passionate endeavor 1007 00:52:08,041 --> 00:52:09,416 by the local crew. 1008 00:52:09,500 --> 00:52:10,958 Most people can't get the funding 1009 00:52:11,041 --> 00:52:12,083 to run a local contest, 1010 00:52:12,166 --> 00:52:14,291 little small wave surf contest. 1011 00:52:14,375 --> 00:52:16,958 But they had managed to get this crew of people 1012 00:52:17,041 --> 00:52:18,958 and the backing of their government 1013 00:52:19,041 --> 00:52:21,917 to fund and help support Nazaré 1014 00:52:21,999 --> 00:52:24,667 as a big wave surf destination without even knowing 1015 00:52:24,750 --> 00:52:26,875 if it was possible to ride at size. 1016 00:52:28,208 --> 00:52:31,999 There was definitely an air of concern 1017 00:52:32,083 --> 00:52:34,833 from the local guys, and you could see it in them, 1018 00:52:34,917 --> 00:52:36,958 and you could feel it in them, and rightly so. 1019 00:52:37,041 --> 00:52:38,999 Nazaré's a very dangerous place. 1020 00:52:39,083 --> 00:52:41,583 [indistinct chatter] 1021 00:52:43,416 --> 00:52:49,124 ♪ ♪ 1022 00:52:49,208 --> 00:52:52,291 The first time we surfed together in Nazaré, 1023 00:52:52,375 --> 00:52:54,999 there's a lot of pressure. 1024 00:52:55,083 --> 00:52:57,166 You doubt yourself. 1025 00:52:57,249 --> 00:52:59,500 Your anxiety, your fear, you're stressing 1026 00:52:59,583 --> 00:53:00,833 that the wave's gonna be big, 1027 00:53:00,917 --> 00:53:02,999 don't feel like you're gonna be good enough. 1028 00:53:03,083 --> 00:53:06,833 ♪ ♪ 1029 00:53:06,917 --> 00:53:09,166 The system we were trying to develop 1030 00:53:09,249 --> 00:53:14,333 for doing this safely was that we were gonna use one surfer 1031 00:53:14,416 --> 00:53:17,166 being towed by one driver on the ski 1032 00:53:17,249 --> 00:53:21,041 and another jet ski to track the first team 1033 00:53:21,124 --> 00:53:22,833 as a safety precaution. 1034 00:53:22,917 --> 00:53:25,166 That was something that hadn't happened before 1035 00:53:25,249 --> 00:53:27,667 in the world of surfing. 1036 00:53:27,750 --> 00:53:29,416 This was my first time. I'm on the ski. 1037 00:53:29,500 --> 00:53:30,999 Garrett's driving. 1038 00:53:31,083 --> 00:53:33,875 And we go around the edge of the rock, and I'm talking. 1039 00:53:33,958 --> 00:53:36,541 We were rounded about three seconds, and Garret's going, 1040 00:53:36,625 --> 00:53:38,958 "Get on the rope! Get on the rope!" 1041 00:53:39,041 --> 00:53:40,708 And I'm going, what? 1042 00:53:40,792 --> 00:53:43,208 And there's like 50-foot peaks just going... 1043 00:53:43,291 --> 00:53:45,041 [mimicking crash] Everywhere. 1044 00:53:45,124 --> 00:53:47,208 This was like a war zone, 1045 00:53:47,291 --> 00:53:49,500 peaks of waves coming in from every angle. 1046 00:53:49,583 --> 00:53:51,083 It felt like you were being hunted. 1047 00:53:51,166 --> 00:53:52,708 That's honestly what it felt like. 1048 00:53:52,792 --> 00:53:55,249 And he's shouting, "Get on the rope, get on the rope!" 1049 00:53:55,333 --> 00:53:58,375 I'm like, "Would you shut up? Let me have a look at it." 1050 00:53:58,458 --> 00:54:01,375 [exciting music] 1051 00:54:01,458 --> 00:54:08,458 ♪ ♪ 1052 00:54:15,333 --> 00:54:17,583 Nazaré isn't like any other big wave spot. 1053 00:54:17,667 --> 00:54:19,208 It's a different animal. 1054 00:54:19,291 --> 00:54:22,249 It comes in, and taller and taller, and it wobbles, 1055 00:54:22,333 --> 00:54:24,875 and it moves, and it shifts, and it breaks a bit, 1056 00:54:24,958 --> 00:54:27,291 and it breaks a bit more, and then, whoa-ahh! 1057 00:54:27,375 --> 00:54:34,375 ♪ ♪ 1058 00:54:36,333 --> 00:54:38,041 What'd you think of the waves? 1059 00:54:38,124 --> 00:54:40,958 This looks heavy. 1060 00:54:41,041 --> 00:54:42,684 That's the first time I've seen it, you know? 1061 00:54:42,708 --> 00:54:44,917 So it's nerves, a bit of fear. 1062 00:54:44,999 --> 00:54:47,333 You know, we've surfed on tight beaches, 1063 00:54:47,416 --> 00:54:50,249 but nothing... nothing like that. 1064 00:54:50,333 --> 00:54:51,750 When we first got there, 1065 00:54:51,833 --> 00:54:53,142 a couple of really big waves came, 1066 00:54:53,166 --> 00:54:55,458 and it seemed really big. 1067 00:54:55,541 --> 00:54:57,291 And it just seemed to get bigger and bigger 1068 00:54:57,375 --> 00:54:58,375 and more water moving. 1069 00:54:58,416 --> 00:55:01,375 It seemed giant. 1070 00:55:01,458 --> 00:55:03,218 When we first drove out there this morning, 1071 00:55:03,291 --> 00:55:05,667 Garrett was like a kid at Christmas. 1072 00:55:05,750 --> 00:55:07,333 And I'm sitting there going... 1073 00:55:07,416 --> 00:55:09,999 Look at how crazy it looks in there! 1074 00:55:10,083 --> 00:55:12,500 I heard you were the king of the morning. 1075 00:55:12,583 --> 00:55:13,917 You got the biggest one. 1076 00:55:13,999 --> 00:55:16,416 I got... I think I got a big one, yeah, did I? 1077 00:55:16,500 --> 00:55:18,625 Yeah, it seemed pretty big, yeah. 1078 00:55:18,708 --> 00:55:21,458 As I started down the wave, all I heard was Garrett 1079 00:55:21,541 --> 00:55:25,083 shouting "To the bottom! Go to the bottom!" 1080 00:55:25,166 --> 00:55:27,667 And he's driving the ski. 1081 00:55:27,750 --> 00:55:29,750 ♪ ♪ 1082 00:55:29,833 --> 00:55:31,124 Whoo! 1083 00:55:31,208 --> 00:55:37,625 ♪ ♪ 1084 00:55:38,958 --> 00:55:43,625 Ahh! [Laughs] 1085 00:55:43,708 --> 00:55:46,458 Yeah, it's definitely gonna be a memorable session. 1086 00:55:46,541 --> 00:55:49,166 There's no doubt about that. I'll never forget it. 1087 00:55:49,249 --> 00:55:51,625 It was big and a lot of water moving, 1088 00:55:51,708 --> 00:55:54,999 and the drops were... never got to the bottom. 1089 00:55:55,083 --> 00:55:56,500 Never got to the bottom, right? 1090 00:55:56,583 --> 00:55:58,500 Did you get to the bottom of any of them? 1091 00:55:58,583 --> 00:55:59,833 No. 1092 00:55:59,917 --> 00:56:01,833 It was like, you look around... nothing, 1093 00:56:01,917 --> 00:56:04,059 and all of a sudden you start riding them, and it's like... 1094 00:56:04,083 --> 00:56:07,875 You're going down 'em, but it's scary. 1095 00:56:07,958 --> 00:56:09,541 Scary, right? 1096 00:56:09,625 --> 00:56:12,667 From speaking to the locals afterwards, 1097 00:56:12,750 --> 00:56:14,291 there was a real turning point that day 1098 00:56:14,375 --> 00:56:18,500 because when Garrett fell in a wave, 1099 00:56:18,583 --> 00:56:21,249 both Andrew and I immediately skied straight in after him. 1100 00:56:21,333 --> 00:56:23,541 We went straight in through all the chaos, 1101 00:56:23,625 --> 00:56:25,267 where all the huge whitewater's rushing through, 1102 00:56:25,291 --> 00:56:27,041 where we had never been before. 1103 00:56:27,124 --> 00:56:29,708 And we got him, and then we raced all the way to shore. 1104 00:56:29,792 --> 00:56:31,583 And we fought our way back out. 1105 00:56:31,667 --> 00:56:33,166 And I think that was the first time 1106 00:56:33,249 --> 00:56:34,416 that ever really happened. 1107 00:56:34,500 --> 00:56:36,225 Nobody had really had to go in and do that sort 1108 00:56:36,249 --> 00:56:37,541 of a rescue before. 1109 00:56:37,625 --> 00:56:40,708 But it made us realize that this was possible. 1110 00:56:40,792 --> 00:56:42,416 You were a champion in there. 1111 00:56:42,500 --> 00:56:44,833 It's like a cowboy. I was like, yeah! 1112 00:56:44,917 --> 00:56:47,124 When I was on the back of his ski, I felt really safe. 1113 00:56:47,208 --> 00:56:50,583 Well, that's good, that's a result. 1114 00:56:50,667 --> 00:56:52,208 The first day I surfed with Cotty, 1115 00:56:52,291 --> 00:56:54,708 I really had an amazing connection with him 1116 00:56:54,792 --> 00:56:56,625 and really felt comfortable. 1117 00:56:56,708 --> 00:56:58,428 At that point, I was a plumber from Devon. 1118 00:56:58,500 --> 00:57:01,249 You know, like, not many professional surfers 1119 00:57:01,333 --> 00:57:03,083 would have trusted a plumber from Devon 1120 00:57:03,166 --> 00:57:05,917 to go tow in at Nazaré. 1121 00:57:05,999 --> 00:57:07,750 He gave me the time. 1122 00:57:07,833 --> 00:57:10,416 He didn't care where I was from, my background, 1123 00:57:10,500 --> 00:57:14,083 so I think that just speaks volumes for me, yeah. 1124 00:57:14,166 --> 00:57:16,750 It was just the right time for me. 1125 00:57:16,833 --> 00:57:19,083 I was just at a point where I hated plumbing, 1126 00:57:19,166 --> 00:57:22,375 and I was just so into big waves. 1127 00:57:22,458 --> 00:57:26,416 It was just a dream to be doing it at all. 1128 00:57:26,500 --> 00:57:29,792 Surfing with Garrett in Nazaré opened my mind 1129 00:57:29,875 --> 00:57:32,667 to how you approach a big wave, 1130 00:57:32,750 --> 00:57:34,541 like, not just how you physically approach it 1131 00:57:34,625 --> 00:57:36,375 but how you mentally approach it, 1132 00:57:36,458 --> 00:57:39,583 what you can survive, and what that takes 1133 00:57:39,667 --> 00:57:41,875 to surf the biggest waves in the world. 1134 00:57:41,999 --> 00:57:45,625 I was just like a sponge. It was just amazing. 1135 00:57:45,708 --> 00:57:48,249 So what's next for you, going back to... 1136 00:57:55,375 --> 00:57:57,291 - So you're used to barrels. - Yeah, yeah! 1137 00:57:57,375 --> 00:57:58,655 Used to lots of water, aren't I? 1138 00:57:58,708 --> 00:58:01,500 Usually leaking everywhere. [laughter] 1139 00:58:01,583 --> 00:58:04,999 [soft music] 1140 00:58:05,083 --> 00:58:06,625 Today's our last day. 1141 00:58:06,708 --> 00:58:11,500 We're gonna go paddle around and just really get 1142 00:58:11,583 --> 00:58:15,792 to know the canyon and its surroundings 1143 00:58:15,875 --> 00:58:20,333 and just enjoy it and get ready to come back. 1144 00:58:20,416 --> 00:58:23,500 ♪ ♪ 1145 00:58:23,583 --> 00:58:29,041 I got invited here to Nazaré by Dino and the city hall, 1146 00:58:29,124 --> 00:58:33,708 and it far exceeded my expectations. 1147 00:58:33,792 --> 00:58:38,667 The waves are giant, and powerful, and challenging. 1148 00:58:38,750 --> 00:58:40,917 ♪ ♪ 1149 00:58:40,999 --> 00:58:44,999 And I consider it a second home now. 1150 00:58:45,083 --> 00:58:46,667 ♪ ♪ 1151 00:58:46,750 --> 00:58:49,416 I've surfed waves all over the world, 1152 00:58:49,500 --> 00:58:52,208 chasing swells everywhere. 1153 00:58:52,291 --> 00:58:53,559 There's all these guys searching 1154 00:58:53,583 --> 00:58:54,833 for this 100-foot wave, 1155 00:58:54,917 --> 00:58:57,375 and everybody wants to ride a 100-foot wave. 1156 00:58:57,458 --> 00:59:00,500 I know it's here, and I know it's for real, 1157 00:59:00,583 --> 00:59:03,833 and I know it will happen, so mark my word. 1158 00:59:03,917 --> 00:59:06,541 We'll be riding one out here someday. 1159 00:59:06,625 --> 00:59:13,625 ♪ ♪ 1160 00:59:57,999 --> 00:59:59,500 [bright tone] 1161 01:00:01,917 --> 01:00:04,309 SPEAKER: We're gonna be riding the biggest wave we've ever seen. 1162 01:00:04,333 --> 01:00:05,999 There's a potential of not coming home. 1163 01:00:07,375 --> 01:00:09,142 - SPEAKER 2: Garrett and the whole crew... - Big set. 1164 01:00:09,166 --> 01:00:11,566 SPEAKER 2: Figured out a lot of systems for big wave surfing. 1165 01:00:11,875 --> 01:00:13,559 SURFER: I can see myself sitting in the pub saying, 1166 01:00:13,583 --> 01:00:15,500 "Ah, I could've done that, but I didn't." 1167 01:00:16,333 --> 01:00:18,213 SPEAKER 3: He's had traumas throughout his life. 1168 01:00:18,458 --> 01:00:20,833 His childhood was far from great. 1169 01:00:21,875 --> 01:00:22,875 It's disturbing. 1170 01:00:23,416 --> 01:00:25,559 SPEAKER 4: I'm happy for him that he's doing what he wants to do. 1171 01:00:25,583 --> 01:00:28,083 There's the flip side, which is that it's dangerous. 1172 01:00:28,541 --> 01:00:30,021 SPEAKER 5: People love a good wipeout. 1173 01:00:30,291 --> 01:00:32,208 SPEAKER 6: Our destruction, your entertainment. 1174 01:00:32,833 --> 01:00:34,975 SPEAKER 7: They had no idea what they were dealing with. 1175 01:00:34,999 --> 01:00:36,708 Those waves were a place of death. 1176 01:00:37,041 --> 01:00:38,958 SPEAKER 8: Nobody would believe that Nazaré 1177 01:00:39,041 --> 01:00:40,643 would have the biggest waves in the world. 1178 01:00:40,667 --> 01:00:43,541 SPEAKER 9: Those hopes and dreams are now going to be a reality.