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Private Notes
Following a massive win at a competition at Maui's world-famous Jaws surf break in 2003, professional surfer Garrett McNamara comes out of retirement to pursue his lifelong dream of riding a 100-foot wave. In 2010, Garrett and his wife Nicole invite fellow big wave surfers to Nazare, Portugal, where the monstrous, untapped waves just might help McNamara achieve the impossible.
In 2011, just as the largest swell of the season approaches, the McNamaras and their team reconvene in Nazare, where they kick preparations into high gear to prepare for their upcoming attempt at making history. Then, despite some unexpected hurdles, Garrett catches a wave that forever changes him, the small seaside town, and the legacy of the sport.
A few days after his historic ride, Garrett is visited by his mother, whose presence prompts an exploration into his highly unconventional and turbulent childhood. In 2013, a group of Brazilians arrive in Nazare, but their failure to heed Garrett's safety advice results in a near-fatal accident. In 2017, Garrett's appearance at a big wave competition takes a devastating turn.
In 2017, prominent surfers flock to Nazare for its largest swell to date — and while one pro sets a new world record, Andrew Cotton suffers a devastating wipeout. In 2019, after rallying through a back-to-back concussion and broken foot, Garrett struggles with determining whether he's mentally ready to get back in the water.
As the world's top surfers arrive in Nazaré for the WSL’s Tow Surfing Challenge, Garrett grows concerned over proposed safety measures.
After the WSL competition abruptly ends, the athletes reflect on their beloved, unpredictable sport. Later, Garrett attempts to surf again.
After months of lockdown and global uncertainty, the 2020-21 big wave surfing season in Nazaré gets off to a roaring start with an unprecedented massive swell from Hurricane Epsilon. For the surfers, the stakes have never been higher as they battle to break the world record.
Portugal’s National Health Commission closes down all surfing due to Covid protocols, stranding the surfers for several weeks. Ramon Laureano, Tony’s father and tow partner, watches his son evolve as a big wave surfer. Garrett McNamara leaves town as he and others contend with their inability to surf waves in Nazaré.
Justine Dupont chases a swell in the Pacific at Mavericks, and then at Jaws in Hawaii, where three years earlier she suffered the biggest injury of her career. Returning to Maui, Dupont faces her fears and surprises even herself. Garrett McNamara’s brother-in-law C.J. Macias and superstar Kai Lenny also have successful runs at Jaws, while McNamara is not so lucky.
In the fall of 2021 and the start of the new big wave season, Garrett McNamara is now the director of the World Surf League’s Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazaré, but eight-month pregnant Nicole McNamara and their young children fall ill with COVID-19, complicating his preparations and the plans for the birth. When the competition begins in December, Tony Laureano isn’t invited to participate with the best in class. For the surfers competing, challenging conditions and terrifying wipeouts highlight the importance of their relationships with jet ski pilots who are also rescuers. Nicole McNamara gives birth to baby Fé.
The huge swells at Nazaré continue to challenge and confound the best surfers in the world, and several dramatic rescues take place close to the perilous rocks. At the Gigantes De Nazaré event in January 2022, several wipeouts and close calls threaten lives, as danger is narrowly averted by acts of heroism and strength. Nicole McNamara’s brother, C.J. Macias, catches an enormous wave, but then disaster strikes.
In the wake of CJ’s frightening search and rescue, the surfers find themselves reflecting on the dangers of their sport. When another WSL contest in Nazaré is announced, Tony’s dreams of competing against the best in class are finally realized… then quickly fall apart. As for Garrett, the end of the surf season becomes a time to recalibrate his priorities.
