Original subtitles

SPEAKER: It's the most difficult decision

to look at the mirror and say, "It's time to stop."

SPEAKER 2: His foot is fractured in eight places.

He needed a plate and all these screws.

GARRETT MCNAMARA: The doctor said that I should never surf again.

I've never been so unprepared

to ride a big wave ever in my life.

SPEAKER: I've never questioned not being able to walk.

I don't fear dying.

I get more fearful of not being able to surf.

I fear that.

You have evidence of healing through here.

MCNAMARA: Now it's time to get serious so I'm training hard.

I'd say two weeks, I'll be driving a jet ski,

maybe surfing.

[TV static drones]

[bright tone]

[dramatic music]

- You can look back into 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.

- And people wonder where that concept came from.

I'm gonna tell you right now it was me.

I had sort of proposed that idea

as one of my many projects over the years,

and it was laughed at at first,

but before long, people went, "You know what?

There are 100-foot waves out there, maybe bigger."

When Garrett rode the giant wave in 2011

and it was clearly the world record biggest wave

that had been ridden at that point in time,

it just came out of left field.

It was such a shocker for everyone

throughout the big-wave-surfing world

'cause big waves, they come in Hawaii.

They come in the West Coast.

They don't come 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,

just watching a tiny little surfer

streaking down this massive wave

and then going past this ancient structure

that's been there since the 1500s.

It's just-- you couldn't have made that up.

And there are giant waves starting in October

all winter long, like, every three days.

It's just the most amazing wave factory

that exists on the planet.

It's really become 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,

and it's got to be a little difficult

for Garrett to see this starlet he discovered

sort of, you know, dating other handsome dudes.

♪ ♪

But that's just the way that things go.

[soft music]

- Check out these monster 100-foot waves off Portugal.

- The biggest wave ever surfed,

as high as 100 feet.

- To put that in perspective,

that is taller than an eight-story building.

- Surfers are always looking for the next great thing.

- It often breaks those brave or crazy board riders.

- Severe wipeouts on waves of mind-boggling heights.

- What happens here happens nowhere else in the world.

- Biggest wave ever surfed. - The biggest wave ever--

- The biggest wave. - The 100-foot wave.

♪ ♪

[seagulls crying]

- No one would've had Portugal on their top-ten list

of water-sports destinations ten years ago,

but now every important big-wave surfer goes there

late October, early November to train.

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 really bad experience...

and overcame the traumatic experience...

and became the most determined,

most focused big-wave-surfing woman.

- I had a pretty guilty feeling after the accident

of, like, wanting something too bad

that it almost killed me.

And if you ask me, like, what made me come back,

I didn't want the accident to shape

the rest of my life.

[dramatic music]

January 18 of 2018,

we went out really, 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 gonna be a world record for a woman.

♪ ♪

And when it came, I just knew it.

I knew that that wave had a lot of potential.

I knew it was a lot of water moving.

I knew that I did not want to fall.

I see that video, and I can barely believe it's me.

[chuckles]

♪ ♪

That wave got me the women'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, stand-up, shortboard,

it doesn't matter.

Like, she's amazing at all of it.

She definitely caught

some of the biggest waves this year,

without a doubt, yeah.

- 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.

- You can put a pin. - Yeah.

- 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.

- [mumbling to self]

Whoa. [chuckles]

[exhales sharply]

[insects chirping, dog barking in the distance]

- [grunts]

[groans]

That's tight, eh?

[exhales deeply]

[chuckles]

[laughs]

'Cause you had a foot operation...

[laughing] Like, six weeks ago.

[seagulls crying]

- 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.

- That 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.

Uh...

I'm just doing my best to stay calm and patient.

I'm feeling like we should be at the harbor

going in the water already.

But it doesn't matter. I'm not surfing.

- Yeah.

Probably get more nervous the fact that it's CJ

instead of Garrett.

[waves roaring]

- There's a really perfect, clean swell,

the kind of days that I really look forward

to surfing here in Nazaré.

Gonna put CJ on wave of his life today.

The only one you want is you want this,

or you want this.

There's one that comes right here in the middle.

Then this one's hollow.

I'd say there are gonna be at least 30 skis out there,

so it's gonna be pretty crowded.

This is actually the best it's been looking.

Look at that. That looks actually nice.

- Once we realized that Garrett's foot

was pretty messed up and he wasn't gonna be able to surf,

it kind of put, like, 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 all healthy. We all want this wave.

Three of us were in different places, you know?

Me with minor injuries still looking to surf,

Garrett, like, really kind of taking a step back,

and Cotty, like, rearing, ready to go.

- What are you thinking?

- Don't know, really.

- Cotty remind me a lot of myself

as far as his desires and his focus.

It's nice to see him so hungry.

Be nice to get him what he's looking for.

[soft music]

You excited? - Slightly nervous, you know?

- It looks like the magic day. - Yeah.

- You're excited but nervous. - Nervous, which is good.

[walkie-talkie beeping]

- Hello, hello?

- 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 gonna 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

and be in our bodies, have some good experience.

[engine roaring]

♪ ♪

[walkie-talkie beeping]

- Nicole?

- Yes, hi.

- Okay, so we're all linked up now.

Everybody good? Does anybody need anything?

♪ ♪

- When I got back on the waves,

I definitely felt a big uprising

in the competitive energy,

just with all the people out 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.

- [laughs]

- It's kind of surreal, you know, like, looking back

to how good we had it with no one about, you know?

But now, you know, there's 20, 30 Jet Skis.

Who's to blame?

[laughs, scoffs]

Us. [laughs]

You're a victim of your own success.

- This is the first time that I'm surfing Nazaré

in six years,

and I definitely had that feeling

of the new kid in school.

All these pros, everyone I see in all the videos,

and everything, and they don't know who I am,

and I'm just kind of Garrett's sidekick.

And then there's the other side of that, too.

The Portuguese people especially,

they would remind me-- they're like,

"No, you're the original.

You were here with Garrett in 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 there?

- Yeah.

- We're in between first and second peak,

way outside, the furthest out.

- A little outside, you might have one

that swings into first peak.

- I'm basically just kind of 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 a 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.

If you fall off, you're, like...

[scoffs]

With no breath for a while,

and that's a very scary thought.

I end up making it out,

and there's a bigger wave behind it, massive.

He comes. He picks me up.

I, like, kind of get the board on,

get on the sled, and he was flying out of there.

- Done with CJ, he kicked out, and then I put him on the sled.

We had to get out of 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 kind of couldn't surf any other waves

'cause it was pretty terrifying.

I felt pretty unstable going that fast with those bumps,

like, 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.

- [laughs]

- I'm questioning and doubting,

like, "What am I doing? What am I doing?

"Is it really that fun

"to be out there trying to surf these 50, 60--

"We're talking about 100-foot wave.

"Is it that fun?

Eh, not really."

So I'm thinking, I'm like, "What am I doing?

I'm out there risking my life for what," you know?

What if 200-foot waves existed on the planet, good ones?

Are we gonna be out there trying to surf them?

Like, where do we draw the line?

- It wasn't too-- I kind of liked it.

It was nice.

Waves were being surfed all over the place.

Usually, there's a lot of waves not going ridden,

and it's fun to watch everybody ride them.

People on the cliff are happy.

I've surfed enough waves out here.

It's fun to watch people now.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- The perspective to be able to see the wave

and the way the shadow was, and--

you know, it was amazing.

♪ ♪

- Yeah, she scored this wave

with a bunch of dudes out there,

and everybody just frothing, and somehow she got that wave,

the bomb of the day, and just charged it.

♪ ♪

- That was one of the best shots I ever filmed.

[cheering]

- 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, really, you can't be a professional surfer

if you don't have a photographer

taking photos of you.

- If you want to go out and surf for fun,

photographers aren't necessary,

but if you want to surf for a living,

you got to document most of the things you do.

Ho-ho-ho-ho!

And in the world of cinematography in 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.

- Okay, Garrett, give us a little information

on Pipeline...

- Mike was always at the top of his game.

He was always the guy you wanted working with you.

- He's been a legend in the surf community,

swimming out in the biggest days of surf

with these massive camera rigs on his shoulder.

Basically, almost any big 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.

- Yeah, I went to Tahiti to do a commercial,

and I saw a diver that was in trouble

that had got stuck in a down current.

So I went down to rescue him.

When I got to him, he was 220 feet underwater.

He had no air, and he was in a complete panic.

His eyes were this big.

And I was trying to get him to calm down underwater

'cause he was hyperventilating underwater,

but as I was bringing him to the surface,

I could feel the air starting to get lower,

and I knew that we were gonna run out of air soon.

We had no choice but just to make an emergency ascent.

We went right to the surface. We didn't make a safety stop.

- Within a matter of moments, he was already passed out,

due to getting the bends.

- The bends is like bubbles in your blood.

And 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 said I have about six months

before I plateau off of my recovery, so...

You know, yeah, I got six months to see

if I can ever walk again.

Um, we'll see.

♪ ♪

It's been quite a while since that happened,

and I was in a wheelchair,

and then now I don't bring my wheelchair at all with me.

I just force myself to hobble around,

and I torture all my friends that go slow walking with me,

'cause I take forever.

[car horn honks] Yeah, they don't care.

They're like, "Oh, come on, pick it up, cripple guy."

[laughs]

- Slowly, through physical therapy,

he's able to move his legs.

He still has no feeling on them,

but he's walking around with crutches now.

- It's like a slow road to recovery,

but, yeah, that's kind of what happened.

♪ ♪

Let's go and get in position

like you were gonna shoot a regular surfing shot

in the shoulder of the wave for right now.

And then after that, we'll try to track one.

- I'm gonna put Cotty on a couple waves right now.

We're gonna move over to second, third peak

away from the surfers.

- There we go, rolling.

♪ ♪

Garrett is pulling Cotty down a wave.

Now we're looking up at Cotty. He's going right.

Whoa, whoa, and, yep, we got it.

♪ ♪

Oh.

Whoa!

- I been here a long time doing footages in the Jet Ski

with GoPro, with the stops,

and this is the future. - Yeah.

♪ ♪

[laughs]

Everything looks good.

- To see Mike come back and continue to be amazing,

both technically and artistically,

is just and absolute inspiration.

- I was elected mayor

on the 29th of September, 2013.

When I came to the city hall,

the Nazaré project had already fulfilled some of its goals.

And we needed to open up Praia do Norte, Nazaré,

to other surfers to spread the word.

And within that vision for me,

it was mandatory to have a world surfing event over here.

[indistinct chatter, applause]

Through the work of Garrett and the other guys,

through the work also of the ladies who surf over here,

not only the men, we've been showcasing the world

that the biggest waves on the planet

are here in Praia do Norte in Nazaré

and making sure that my dream and the dream of a lot

of people in Nazaré is maintained for you.

[applause]

- It's good to see. It's good to see.

- Are you excited about the Nazaré Tow Challenge?

- Yes, I'm really excited about the Nazaré Tow Challenge.

It's...

you know, again, it's another opportunity

to compete on the world stage.

I'm looking for perfect conditions, you know?

Like, I want to be actually surfing.

I don't want to be surviving.

[laughter, whistling]

- Big-wave-surfing events

generally have a window

that'll run a certain number of months.

The Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge

started November 1

and ran through the end of February,

so we had four months to wait for just the right combination

of all the elements to come together.

And 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,

because you never know totally for sure,

but you have that pressure of saying,

"Look, we're going to run an event.

"We're gonna have 100 people from around the world fly in.

"We're gonna spend between the event 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.

♪ ♪

The clock was ticking away.

With an amazing crew of decision makers

at the World Surf League and especially the local crew

there at Nazaré, we were able

to just take what we knew about every other storm

that's come in in the last six, 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.

Pretty cool-- exactly what we envisioned

and focused on and planned for this place

from the day we showed up is now actually happening.

And Cotty's got a spot.

I got a spot, but I'm not gonna--

Well, I am keeping a wild card spot so that if I'm better

and it is the 100-foot day, then I'll surf it.

- What's up?

- I'm getting excited for you for this year.

- Yeah?

- I'll definitely be ready to drive.

- Yeah?

- But, I mean, 100% ready to be on the cliff

and orchestrating, which that'll be fun, too.

Might be more valuable, huh?

Couldn't do it.

[laughs] 'Cause you want to be in the water.

All right, love you.

- Right, I'll speak to you in a bit.

- Love you, buddy. [cell phone beeps]

- Yeah, I got it.

When Garrett was starting to talk

about the Tow Challenge and everything,

I felt like I had no business being in it at all.

I just felt way out of my league, honestly.

All these surfers have had

an extra six years' experience surfing Nazaré,

when I haven't even been around,

and, yeah, it was hardly even on my radar

to be a competitor in that.

So I didn't come back 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's 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 some clarity on life.

And I've gotten so much growth and learning

from that experience.

And 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 100-foot wave,

and I don't feel rushed at all about it.

♪ ♪

It's gonna come when it comes.

[seagulls crying]

- With the contest on and stuff,

it's not been the most straightforward of years.

I've been surfing with Garrett

for the last eight, nine years,

and, obviously, Garrett's been injured.

So I've been partnered with Tom Butler from the UK.

No.

I'll probably regret that.

- Right, bad. - Yeah.

Been putting in the time with Tom

'cause we have to then build our connection together,

you know, 'cause we got to compete.

[seagulls squawking]

I do feel fortunate to have Tom

because he was one of the early guys at Nazaré.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- 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

before we were getting quite comfortable

and believing in ourselves.

- Cotty's excited, hungry. He wants it.

He's been training for it all year.

He's got a good partner, and they're ready.

♪ ♪

But they've also got some serious competition.

- Grab the keys? - Yeah.

- How you doing? - How's it going?

- Good. Welcome. - Hey, good to see you.

- You like 'em that weight?

- It's just 'cause it's small. - Yeah.

- I have my heavy ones for tomorrow and the next day.

- Okay, how heavy? - Ten kilos.

- Exactly. - Yeah.

- Is this one you were doing all the flips on?

- Uh-huh. - Sick.

- That's the guy to watch. That's Kai Lenny.

And he pretty much does every discipline

in the water in sports, but 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,

and he's an upcomer,

and now that Garrett's discovered this wave,

Kai's gonna rip it apart.

- If you need anything while you're here,

please let me know.

- Okay, thanks, GMAC, maybe some tips.

- Nah, I'll get tips from you. [chuckles]

♪ ♪

- 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 just, 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,

like, 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.

And 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 tow-in partner for the Nazaré challenge is

Lucas Chumbo,

and 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 giants 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?

Good to see you.

- Lucas is somebody to focus on.

He's, like, the best guy at Nazaré right now.

This is the blow. - Yeah, this is the blow.

When I got here in Nazaré,

I feel so much at home,

or, like, I feel so comfortable here.

I'm at home, and I'm doing what I love,

and for sure, I'm in the best place

to do what I love.

[indistinct chatter]

What's up, guys? - How you doing?

- You guys get a couple?

- All day in your wetsuit yesterday.

- Yeah, fuck, all day in the wetsuit.

You know what time I finish?

2:00 a.m. - What?

- To clean the... the ski. - The ski.

- I'm done today. - Can it.

- Yeah, I need to rest.

[engine turning over]

I loved it, actually.

When I came first time to Nazaré,

I didn't have any sponsor.

Then two years after,

I got the sponsor from Red Bull.

And this was a dream for me.

And now I have my locker.

[indistinct chatter]

- 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

of big-wave surfing.

[applause]

[indistinct chatter]

- When Garrett male the record,

nobody go to the lighthouse on that day, you know?

Imagine the difference between that day and now.

- I'm not sure, is this your first time you come back

to Nazaré since you had the accident?

Of course not, yeah? - Oh, no, no.

No, that was, like, years ago now, so, yeah.

- Do people think you're a bit, like, mad

that you're coming back after going through something so...

- No, 'cause it, like-- if it was that horrendous,

then I wouldn't want to do it again, you know?

And never thought I was gonna drown,

never thought I was gonna die.

So it's just, like, it's an injury.

- Cheers, guys. - Cheers, man.

- Thank you. - Thank you very much.

Very kind of you. - No worries.

Being constantly reminded about the wipeout...

you can't take it too seriously.

It's just part of it.

Gave me a little exposure as well, you know, like...

I could've made that wave.

It could be the best wave of my life,

but probably no one would've ever seen it.

And that's the thing, isn't it, yeah?

It's that double-edged sword of what people want to see.

- I've been doing the Big Wave Awards

for 20 years now,

and everyone wants to win Ride of the Year.

The one that you don't necessarily want to win

is the wipeout of the year.

One of the hall-of-fame moments

was Andrew Cotton at Nazaré

and getting a little trophy at the end of the year

that affirms that yours was the best wipeout of the year,

I guess, 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.

You know, like, the irony is just, like, you know--

and I can remember just, like, oh, God,

like, this is just 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 probably more

than the one best skillful ride,

'cause most people looking at it don't know the difference.

♪ ♪

- The waves are supposed to be good tomorrow, too, right?

- Yeah.

- Are you gonna 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 then when the big old swell comes--

- That's true.

- I miss you so much right now.

- I miss you.

- These are the times when I just want to get on a plane.

[birds chirping]

- I stay home sometimes, but it's all a blur.

[laughs] Motherhood is a blur.

- Oh, I got one!

- Yeah, Garrett had a lot of work to do.

So sometimes it's easier for Garrett to go

and just get the work done than for the whole family to go--

[child babbles] Mommy!

- Go do bubbles!

- Without my family around, there's a lot of time to think.

And so I'm thinking there and...

"Huh, I could do the contest."

♪ ♪

One wave's all I need, one big wave.

100-footer comes, at least I'll be out there,

and it'll 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,

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 a little bit,

and 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,

'cause if you die, you're not in pain.

His is, like, just feeling that pain again

and depression.

[car beeps]

- I do...

feel that it would've been amazing to surf,

but I didn't want to push it.

I wasn't ready.

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 little practice with Cotty.

I think it'll work out.

It's gonna be interesting, something new for me.

♪ ♪

Cotty, you guys out there?

Do you want to wait for the sets or just go for anything?

It just feels different trying to...

see which wave they should go for.

I can't see where you guys are.

Third--second, third peak...

Shit. Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Definitely some waves on the outside.

Just hang tight right where you are.

Second peak, second peak, run over there.

Go get it, go get it. Go, go, go, go!

He's going, 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. - Hell yeah.

- You guys are already here. That was too fast.

I thought it was going to eat you, yeah.

You cranked it so hard, and the whitewater was coming.

I'm like, "Oh, he's done."

I was about to start saying--

I was about to say, "Down, down!"

- To have Garrett in your corner,

like, it's the dream, isn't it?

You know, like, if someone had said to me,

like, ten years ago,

"Oh, you're gonna be in the Duracell Nazaré Challenge,

and Garrett's gonna be on the radio calling the shots,"

I'd never, ever in a million years think that is possible.

Garrett was just, you know, someone you saw

in magazines and movies.

[laughs] You know?

Not somebody who FaceTimes you at 6:00 in the morning.

[laughs]

[cell phone ringing]

- Hello? Hey!

[child laughs]

- [laughs]

Hi, Theia.

- Did it get smaller?

- No, it's good size.

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.

[laughs]

- Oh. [laughs]

- 'Cause 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 of the gate,

and it worked perfect,

and then they got another good one,

and then it was tough.

Guys, you guys got to win this thing.

You guys got to win this thing. - Yeah, I know.

Well, we're set, aren't we?

- [shouting in Portuguese]

- Oh, it's nice and warm in here.

I'm so cold.

Thank you so much for bringing that stuff.

- Yeah, no worries.

- I'm so sorry to put that on you.

- It felt good. - Good to see you.

- So you guys had a meeting at Lino's?

- Yeah, yeah.

- What kind of a meeting?

- Safety and then--

- What is the safety plan?

Do they have one ski delegated to each team?

- Some people weren't happy.

There was only, like, two or three really good safety guys

out of the five.

- 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?

- You know, it's what can you do, really, you know?

Like, I think it's gonna be

as safe as it can be.

You know?

- Mm, let me call Bill.

- All right.

I'll speak to you later. - All right, bye.

- It's just things can go wrong so quick.

You can have two skis down in a second.

All of a sudden, everybody's on two skis,

and there's still three skis surfing.

[line trilling]

- Garrett!

- Bill, I was talking to Cotty about the safety.

It sounds 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

of what we all talked about, you know, the last meeting.

If you want to come and chime in,

that's coming right up.

- See, if I was in the event, I would wan--I would say more,

but since I'm not, I don't really feel

like it's my place to say anything, but...

- It's either join in

or wait and see what everyone comes up with.

- Okay, all right. - Okay, 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 pretty 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.

♪ ♪

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.

- No, no, no, no, hey!

- 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

and a lot of really qualified people 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.

♪ ♪

- For the Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge,

every important big-wave surfer from Brazil,

from Hawaii, California, whatever,

everyone's there.

- To see this place have a professional tow-in contest,

this is something maybe I dreamed about.

I'm not even sure.

But I'm very proud

that we have, you know, myself and Justine at a level

that I think we'll do something.

You know, 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 with the World Surf League

at Praia do Norte, the world has its eyes on us.

- It's amazing, in just a few years,

how excited people have gotten over this wave.

You're gonna see thousands and thousands of people

just covering the cliffs,

and it's just like you're going to a Super Bowl

of surfing.

- Blessed with great conditions

and a big swell in the water.

I'm Paul Evans.

In the studio alongside me,

Peter Mel and Garrett McNamara.

Garrett, how 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.

40 or 50 of the world's best big-wave surfers

all pushing the limits.

- This is gonna be awesome. [giggles]

There are the teams

we looked out towards,

particularly Chianca

and Lenny.

A lot of buzz, a lot of hype.

Those guys are really taking 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'm just looking to get the best waves of my life.

And if they're the best waves of my life,

then they should win the competition.

- Not many people have spent more time

towing out here than Andrew Cotton.

How do you fancy their chances?

- Everybody loves Cotty, and he's hungry,

and he wants it.

I'm really excited to see them in action in their heat.

- This is it.

If I'm gonna do it, I want to be in it to win it.

- I was just super hyped up for the event.

Big-wave-surfing competitions,

they can potentially be life-changing.

- Everyone wants the same thing.

Everyone wants that photo or that wave

that's gonna make a career and change your life.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[bright tone]

The Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge really was the first event

of its kind ever.

♪ (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

The rules of the biggest wave

depend on the photographic evidence.

(CROWD CHEERING)

KAI LENNY: No matter how good you really are, you're going

to reach a situation that'll send you into oblivion.

SPEAKER 1: Fear is something we choose.

For the big waves, the only thing that exists is right now.

SPEAKER 3: He got a bomb wave but then there was disaster.

♪ (DRAMATIC MUSIC ENDS) ♪