Telling stories about athletes pushing the limits of the human body is as old as sport itself. Today - despite thinking that at this point, we might have seen it all - there are still more fascinating stories to be told. In the niche realm of big-wave surfing, one narrative that continues to hold more and more is that of American big wave surfer Garrett Mcnamara’s quest to surf the biggest wave in the world. For three years, HBO Sports has been following Mcnamara around the world as he and a group of friends pursue the dream of riding true monsters: waves that exceed 100 feet tall. Season 2 of their groundbreaking and Emmy-winning series 100 Foot Wave returns to HBO and HBO Max on April 16 to showcase the insane progression of the sport since its inception, introducing new characters and continuing to highlight Mcnamara’s influence.
Looking back at 2019’s Season 1, we saw the show explore the development of Nazaré, Portugal as the mecca of worldwide big wave surfing and the way Mcnamara and a handful of other pioneering riders refined safety and riding techniques to harness the energy of the ocean to their advantage. Keyword here is the word “pioneer,” as this type of surfing was truly pushing the boundaries of the sport. There aren’t very many spots on the planet where waves this size exist, let alone are accessible in a place that makes them actually rideable. Much like how TGR, Standard Films, and a handful of other production companies told the stories of athletes re-inventing skiing and snowboarding in Alaska in the 90s, HBO brought their world-class investigative journalism and storytelling to the beaches of Nazaré to showcase this new world.
This April, 100 Foot Wave returns to Nazaré, with stops in Hawaii and California, to follow the progression of the sport through major world events like the COVID-19 pandemic. As much a story of personal relationships, longing, fear, and love, the series spans the ‘20/‘21 and ‘21/‘22 big wave seasons which began with the uncertainties of life under pandemic lockdown and ended with some of the largest swells of the surfers’ careers. Characters like Mcnamara, Kai Lenny, CJ Macias, Andrew Cotton, Rodrigo Koxa and Justine Dupont return, while we are introduced to some new names that have joined the party like local kid Tony Laureano and more.
What HBO continues to do exceptionally well here is distill the wild, unpredictable, and extremely complex world of big-wave surfing into something that both insiders and those with no experience in the ocean can enjoy. It’s not shock-value reality TV, it’s not scripted drama, but it’s true documentary filmmaking bringing one of the most powerful forces of nature right onto your screen.
The second season of the Emmy®-winning HBO Original six-part docuseries 100 Foot Wave, directed and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith (HBO’s “Branson”) and executive produced by Emmy®, Golden Globe®, and Tony® winner Joe Lewis (“Fleabag”), debuts Sunday, April 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) with new episodes premiering subsequent Sundays at the same time on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max.
About The Author
stash member Teton Gravity Research
It all began with a dream and a little cash scraped together from fishing in Alaska... Since 1995, we've been an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through our ground-breaking films (37 and counting) and online content.