03x04 - Chapter IV - The Eddie

[bunniefuu]

[TV static drones]

[bright tone]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]

- The last few seasons,

I haven't been able to get over
to Nazaré for a really big day.

You know, I had twin daughters.

They're the most beautiful
girls in the world.

- Whee!

- It's not because having kids
has made it harder to travel.

It's more, like,
missing the kids

and not wanting to leave.

It's almost just as satisfying
riding a one-foot wave

with my little girls

as it is riding
a 100-foot wave for myself.

But this is my job,
and you get a swell alert,

and you switch
into that competitive mindset.

- We'll have to wait
until tomorrow morning

for the official green light
for the Eddie.

- But things are looking
quite good.

- Due to this large swell
moving through...

- For the first time
in nearly seven years,

perfect for the Eddie Aikau
Big Wave Invitational

to finally go.

- The Eddie Aikau
Big Wave Invitational

is the most prestigious event,

not just in big-wave surfing
but in all of surfing.

And it's in honor of one
of the most legendary figures

in the entire surfing world--
Eddie Aikau.

When I was a kid,
I had posters of Eddie.

I would dress up as Eddie Aikau

for our famous-people day
in elementary school.

Eddie Aikau was
one of my heroes.

- The classic Hawaiian spirit,
the spirit of Aloha,

was never more evident than
in the soul of Eddie Aikau.

He was an inspiration

to anyone who was lucky enough
to have known him.

- Eddie Aikau was just
the epitome of Hawaiian style

in the water.

- Left in the competition.

- Buried out there somewhere
is Eddie Aikau.

I just saw him.
There he is.

He took off on that wave,

and he disappeared under
a mountain of white water.

Look at that speed.

- Basically, when it come
to big waves,

he was the best of the best.

- Unbelievable ride
for Eddie Aikau.

How he managed to stay
ahead of that white water,

I don't know.

He is still up.

- I would like
to dedicate my win

for all the Hawaiians, man.

All for the Hawaiians, man.
[cheers and applause]

- He was
the most selfless surfer

that we all aspire to be like.

- Welcome

to the Eddie Aikau
Big Wave Invitational

here at Waimea Bay.

- The contest
is in memory of him.

- Today is a celebration
of life for Eddie Aikau.

- To be a part of it is--
I mean, really,

it's the holy grail
of big-wave surfing events.

- It's the highest honor
to get invited to the Eddie.

- The Eddie is so special,
and you feel it.

We're celebrating surfing,
big-wave riding,

and we're celebrating a legacy

that is like no other
in the world.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[serene music]

[person speaking indistinctly
over radio]

- More is expected.

Now, towards the north
of the islands,

we have a lot
of activity taking place,

so we'll be keeping
our eyes on that.

- This swell is going to be
a big one, a massive storm.

We're going to see
great conditions coming.

- Since the day
I met Garrett,

the Eddie has been the epitome

of him being accepted
by the surf community.

It's always meant so much
to Garrett to be invited

and to be included.

And the thing is,
is you can get an invite,

and the contest
might not run that year,

so you might not even get
to surf in it.

- It's all dependent
on Mother Nature.

We can have
all the athletes chosen.

We can have
all the organization set up,

but if the swell does not
produce big enough waves,

the event does not happen.

The Eddie rarely goes,
very rarely goes.

We can go five, ten years
without it going.

- For years, he was always put
on the alternate list,

and he's only received
a few official invitations.

[indistinct chatter]

The last time the Eddie ran,

it was right after Garrett's
shoulder accident...

at Mavericks--
the horrific one.

[person speaking indistinctly]
- Oh, no!

- I was praying
to the surf gods

that that contest didn't run,

because I knew if the Eddie
ran that year,

it would be turmoil.

♪ ♪

- Aloha, and good morning,

and welcome
to the North Shore of Oahu.

Another gigantic swell is
detonating across Waimea Bay.

[cheers and applause]

- I was so depressed...

because I saw myself winning.

Instead, I had
a shattered shoulder.

- Garrett disappeared.

He just drank himself
to oblivion.

This year
Garrett wasn't invited.

And he didn't talk about it,
and I didn't push it.

But the Eddie
is a thing for him.

- I lived for the Eddie Aikau.

The Eddie Aikau
was the one thing

I lived for
in big-wave surfing.

♪ ♪

[imitating chickens clucking]

- And the green light is on

for the Eddie Aikau Big Wave
Invitational at Waimea Bay.

- 40 surfers
from across the world

were invited to participate,
including, for the first time,

six female competitors.

- Waimea is expected to be
jam-packed Sunday morning

with more than 20,000--

- The contest was on.
She wanted to be part of it.

But she was scared.
She was, like, nervous.

It was pretty much
the end of the season,

and she had overcome a lot.

[line beeps]
- Hello.

- Hello.
[chuckles] Good morning.

- Good morning.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[clicks tongue]

- And talk about riding
the white lightning.

Take a look at this.
That's Eddie Aikau.

Oh, look at this.

Hello!
You good?

- Yeah!

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.

Okay.

♪ ♪

- Waimea Bay is one

of the most iconic
big-wave spots in our sport.

For a long time, it was
thought if you went out there,

you were gonna die

because the wave
was on such another level...

until those heroes like
Greg Noll and Eddie Aikau

were able to go out and prove
what was possible.

♪ ♪

And that entire crew
paved the way

for what we're doing now.

♪ ♪

[crowd cheers]

- Once the waves get
to a certain size,

we stop people who don't know
what they're doing

from getting in the water.

But even the best of the best
have accidents.

And when that happens,

it's usually something
really, really serious.

♪ ♪

Those are the most intense
moments of lifeguarding.

- The North Shore is some

of the most treacherous
coastline in the world.

And without the lifeguards,
people wouldn't be making it.

And Eddie Aikau
was not only one

of the best big-wave surfers
out at Waimea Bay,

he was also
the first lifeguard there.

- Eddie Aikau
has over 500 rescues,

and he never lost one life.

I think that record is still

the most legendary stat
I could possibly think of.

- His record
of not losing a life

is something
that's been very inspiring.

I don't know how he did it.

Ever since surfing Waimea,

he's always been someone
I've looked up to.

But then more so, becoming
a lifeguard, his whole--

what he was all about has been

something I try to aspire
to be like.

- Eddie, do you ever worry
about getting hurt out there?

- Yes. In fact, last year
I almost lost my life.

Anybody that rides Waimea Bay

knows that you're only taking
a chance.

And you got to be lucky, too.

And just know
what you're doing, I guess.

- At one point in his life,
he did probably

one of the most heroic acts
I could possibly think of.

A fateful day where they sailed
on the legendary boat,

the "Hokule'a"--

a rebuilt boat
of what the ancient Hawaiians

sailed to Hawaii on.

And on the start
of their trip,

they ran into a storm,
and the boat flipped.

It was sinking.

All of his friends
were in risk of dying.

And what did Eddie Aikau do?

He grabbed his surfboard
that was on the boat,

and he tried paddling
to shore.

- Eddie said, I'm going
to go paddle for help.

You guys stay here.

Shortly after,
the Coast Guard arrived

and saved everybody.

And Eddie was never seen again.

- Here with details
of the accident involving

the Polynesian voyaging canoe.

- After an intensive
land, air, and sea search,

Eddie Aikau is still missing.

- I'd like to think

that he just became one
with the ocean,

since he was one
of the greatest watermen

to ever exist.

You can feel his spirit
when you surf Waimea Bay.

- Surfing Waimea,
it's a very special experience.

When I was younger,
I always wanted to be

one of the best surfers
at Waimea.

And then as life
started happening,

I became a lifeguard.

And I get to surf
on my breaks,

and I'll surf
as much as I can.

The Aikau family...

they're kind of down at Waimea

every time the waves
get big...

paying attention
to who is pushing the limits.

♪ ♪

And what
I've always dreamed of

was to be invited
to the Eddie--

just be on the poster.

They only invite

the best international
big-wave surfers

and then a handful
of local surfers.

And so, when I got notified

that I was invited
to the Eddie,

I remember, like,
pretty much almost crying.

Like, my dream came true.

[chuckles]

I'm really competing
in an Eddie.

- All right, come here.

- This is my nephew, Landon.

He's in the Eddie Aikau--
one of the very few people

in the whole entire world
that's invited.

- Growing up
in the McNamara family,

I wanted to become
a professional surfer

from the day I was born.

- I've been taking Landon out
since he was really young.

And he's been hungry.

Since he was 12, I've towed
him into 20-foot waves,

and he caught bombs.

♪ ♪

Yeah!

We're gonna get him a board

that I think will be perfect
for the Eddie.

That's like the 11'6,
but it's 10'6.

- When my Uncle Garrett surfed
in the Eddie,

the last time that he did,

I was around 10
or 12 years old.

It just furthered my drive

to want to do
the same thing as him

because I was just in
complete awe the whole time.

Can I really use it?
- Yeah, 100%.

- Thank you.

- It's really cool--
the dynamic of the family

and passing on generations.

- Love you so much.
Thank you so much.

For real, really stoked.

It's perfect.
Perfection.

- What's up?

- It feels like a trap.

- I'm just wondering
if you're drivable.

- I'm not, unfortunately.

I just didn't want to get
in the water.

And Garrett wanted to get out.

Starting to really build up
some angst

about getting a good b*mb.

- CJ in his prime.

- Damn, I was in my prime, huh?

- You can still
prime out again.

Oh!

Come on, man, get on the ski.

Nobody's here to drive me.
You can drive me.

You can actually drive now
after all these years.

You actually took the time
to learn how to drive.

- You seem frustrated.

- I'd like to be
in the water more.

It's challenging,

seeing perfect waves
and not utilizing them.

- 10 feet tonight and 12 feet
tomorrow and offshore all day.

Kona winds, perfect,
northwest, the best direction.

- All right, f*ck it, I'll just
buy a ticket to go to Hawaii.

[light music]

♪ ♪

- What's up?

- How's it going?
- I'm well. How are you?

- You all right?

- I'm well, dude.
- Yeah?

- Good to see you.
- And you, man.

- Are you kidding me?

What up, Barrel? I just been
watching you charging.

- Hey, Cotty!
- What's happening?

- You made it.
- You all right?

How's it goin'?

- I was super excited to share
the waves here with Cotty.

It's the most epic condition
with waves,

and Barrel's been
getting waves and...

I haven't been
getting much waves,

so I'm so stoked you're here.
- Well, yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪

- Tomorrow morning
we could still be seeing

35- to 45-footers,

giving that great opportunity
to see that great spectacle

if you're here on Oahu
out at Waimea.

Now, as we've mentioned,
currently we have this band...

- The day of the Eddie,

the plan was, leave here
as early as humanly possible...

[light music]

- You guys
are not messing around.

Ready to roll?

- And then go watch the Eddie.

And then go out to surf
the swell the rest of the day.

- Yee-ha!

Whoo-hoo.

♪ ♪

- When they called the contest
on, I knew I had to work.

I can't take vacation

because there's already
too many people on vacation.

And then my captain called me
about 6:30 in the morning.

There's 20,000 people
on the beach,

and the waves are closing out.

We need you
at the beach right now.

I was like, uh-oh,
I got to go.

Oh, my gosh.

♪ ♪

- When I got to the beach,
I could not move.

I, like, had to push my way
through the crowd.

And when I got
to the waterline,

I let my captain know

that I probably won't eat
any lunch that day.

I'll just be in and out
of the water

doing rescues
and surfing on my breaks.

[excited chatter]

- Hey.
It's good to see you guys.

- Where's Garrett?
Is he out there in the channel?

- Yeah, on the ski.

I have to say,

I'm very sad that Garrett's
not in the contest, but...

here we are.

- Breaking ground in the 2023
Eddie Aikau Invitational--

six women
from around the country

getting the call to serve in
Hawaii's most prestigious...

- It's going to be
a crazy experience,

and I'm just so stoked
to be surrounded

by such big legends.

I'm sure a lot
of other competitors

feel the exact same.

I think if I won this event,

it would be the biggest win
of my entire life.

I don't know. I don't even know
how I would process that.

♪ ♪

- Waimea really lived
up to expectation.

- You know when people die,

they see the flash
of their life in front of them?

I saw the flash of my career,
looking out at those waves.

♪ ♪

- If I was gonna pick
somebody to win...

- Wow.
Massive wave off the back bar.

- I would pick Lucas.

- No surf event is ran
like the Eddie.

So you only get 2 times
to surf, 45 minutes.

They'll judge you
on commitment,

your performance on the wave,
how deep you are on the wave,

and then the size of the wave.

And they actually withhold
a lot of the scoring,

so you don't know
who's, like, in the mix.

[dramatic music]

- Ready?

- Oh, my God.
- Look at the set behind!

Oh!

- Oh!

- sh*t.

♪ ♪

- You got to get in the perfect
spot to catch the wave.

[people shouting excitedly]

Turn around,
hope that you get down it.

[crowd cheering]

- That's Waimea, you know.
It has that steep takeoff,

and, you know,
you're dropping down,

and you can't really see
what's underneath you.

- It usually explodes on you.

all:
Oh!

- And then to come out of that
expl*si*n and make it around

is a whole nother challenge.

- Oh, the big jump!
Here we go!

Where are they?
He's still riding!

- Oh, my God!
- Let's go!

- Surfers in heat two--

surfers, prepare
to enter the water.

[laughter]

[people cheering]

♪ ♪

- Oh!

- I pulled up on the Jet Ski,
had that bird's-eye view.

Holy sh*t.
- Oh.

- [laughs]

- Yeah.

- Yeah, Lucas!
Go get 'em, buddy.

Go.

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- Lucas Chianca is charging
this absolutely massive wave.

- Wow.

Someone just got a psycho wave.

- Lucas got an amazing wave.

[shouts happily]
- Oh, sh*t.

[cheers and applause]

- Coming into the day,

I had such a good feeling
that I could win this event.

♪ ♪

- Just barely escaping the
white water there, Kai Lenny.

Kai is definitely a favorite
to win here today.

- At Waimea Bay,
there's only so much you can do

besides take off
really late and deep

and be critical and make
the white-water explosions.

So I have to find
a point of difference

and separate my rides
from the others.

♪ ♪

- Kai is always catching air
off whatever bumps he can find

and right in front
of that massive white water.

Check out the showmanship
from Kai Lenny here.

He switches stances
on the way in.

- [shouts happily]
Oh, sh*t!

- Who can ride the white water
all the way to the beach--

an Eddie tradition?

Kai Lenny.

- Going to the shore break
was another dream come true.

Mine didn't barrel,

but at least I got the cheers
from the crowd and--

That was cool.

- Holy sh*t!

[cheers and applause]

- I watched maybe 15, 20 waves
throughout the whole day

because I was so focused
on the beach

and what the spectators
were doing.

- Not a moment's rest
for Luke Shepardson,

looking out for us
here at Waimea

and competing on the same day.

- We need everybody
behind the barricade.

We can't have anybody down
on the left side...

- We had caution-taped
the beach,

but the wave went a whole
lot higher than we expected,

flushed through the crowd.

[crowd screaming]

And as that was happening,

a big log
pinned a couple girls

under the white water.
[crowd shouting]

We got them out of there

and tried to keep
that area clear.

It was chaos from first thing
in the morning.

[chuckles]

When they called me up
for my heats,

it was kind of like, oh, I get
to relax from this craziness

on the beach and go out
and enjoy the craziness

that I love
and being in those waves.

- That first paddle out

was just,
like, chicken-skin moment.

I'm not a pro surfer,

but I've been in the water
out here for my whole life.

And I know my lineups.

I have my waves
that I look for.

Now I got to perform.

And then I paddled for a wave,
and I stood up.

[crowd shouting excitedly]

I looked over the ledge,
and I was like,

there's no way
I'm gonna make it.

I'm just gonna eat sh*t.

So I kicked out,
because if I got hurt,

I wasn't going to be covered
by workers' comp

or anything like that.

And, you know,
I can't get hurt.

I got to provide
for the family.

But then towards the end
of the first heat,

the set came...

and Billy whipped it
underneath me.

I was like, okay,
I'll just let Billy go.

It'll be bumpy.

- Oh!

- Oh-h*, and he goes down.

- Hopefully there's a next one
that's good behind.

Sure enough, next wave--
giant wave came.

♪ ♪

- Luke Shepardson here.
That's a huge drop.

Luke Shepardson handling it.

[crowd shouting happily]

♪ ♪

- I surfed
a heat in the Eddie.

My dreams had came true,
you know?

Like, I was filled.
I was, like, super stoked.

♪ ♪

I changed back into uniform
and went back to work,

trying to keep people safe
and high and dry.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- Whoo-hoo!

♪ ♪

- I don't think
anyone ever saw it

do what it did that day--

by far the biggest
we've seen in Waimea.

♪ ♪

- [exhales deeply]

- Coming up in this heat,

we have Landon McNamara,
Justine DuPont.

Please check in at the booth.

[dramatic operatic singing]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

- That day, there was barely
anytime to paddle out.

The current is just pulling you
to the wrong spot

where you don't want to be.

Landon, outside!

- I had no clue
he was gonna be there.

I was like, all right, okay,

Uncle might be able to give me
a hoot

when there's huge sets
coming in from out the back.

[laughs]

- For the first half
of the heat,

I see Justine actually
in the perfect spot

to catch the biggest wave
of the day

that nobody can get
because they're too deep.

- Oh, sh*t.

- So set after set
come right to her,

and she paddles
to the channel.

And I'm going, what the f*ck?
What are you doing?

Come on.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- There's a full, just
different energy in the air,

from the ocean to the people.

I was like, oh, this is real.
This is happening.

- Within the first
five minutes of my heat,

a set came,
and I said, let's go.

♪ ♪

- Wow.
What an incredible wave.

It didn't look like he was
going to make it

out of that expl*si*n,
but Landon emerged.

Here he comes.

- Oh, yeah, Land-o.

Yeah, Landon.

Landon caught the b*mb,
the best wave of the morning--

somehow made it around.

Whoo! That makes me so happy
that Landon got it.

Oh, my God.
That's incredible.

[cheers and applause]

- He took the biggest wave
of that set.

- Yep.
- That was some hard charging.

- I didn't know
what he was going to do.

And I was beyond proud.

I was like, oh, my God,
he's going to win this thing.

He can win this thing.

- Catching 4 waves
in 45 minutes...

- Landon apparently got
the wave of the contest so far.

Hey!

- Hi.
- Love you.

Go rest.

Water, water.
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
Bye.

♪ ♪

[horn sounding]

[coughing]

- That is the end
of round one.

Surfers, take a quick break.

We'll be back shortly
for round two.

- Okay, here comes two more.

- How was it?

- Scared?
- Yeah.

- It's huge.

- Yeah, but you have
another heat, right?

- Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

- You got it.
- Thanks a lot.

[Nicole chuckles]

- Could you sign this?

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

[people cheering]
- [exhales sharply]

[bright music]

♪ ♪

[crowd gasps, shouting]

Another, another.
Go, Justine!

- Go, go, go!

Go, Justine!

Go!

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- That's a big one, you know?

[crowd shouting]

- Oh, my God.

Lucas Chumbo just launched
himself over the falls.

Took a horrific pounding
there.

Man, that's brutal.

[concerned chatter]

- Whew!

- Lucas getting picked up
by the ski assist here.

Looks like he might have taken
that wave to the head.

♪ ♪

Yeah!

- Chumbo! Whoo!

- [whistling]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[cheering]
- He's going!

Come on now, Chumbo!

- Look at Lucas Chumbo

riding it all the way
into the shore break.

Let's go, Chumbo.
Unreal.

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]

- He came up,
and he was taking it all in,

and his board was
right next to him.

A small wave came in.

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

- Hey!

♪ ♪

- I remember seeing him
limping up the beach.

And we all ran down there.
We got him, bring him up.

- Get gauze right away.

- You got to get him up.
- Yep.

- [groans]

- We got to go patch him up.
- Hang on. You guys ready?

- Yeah, yeah.
Got him.

♪ ♪

Bleeding control.
Get bleeding control. Come on.

- He was asking me,
think I need stitches?

Do you think I can still surf?

I was like, oh, you
definitely need stitches.

It's a really good one.

- That's just the best scar.

[laughs]

It's all good.

- That was just insane, eh?
[laughs]

- There's a big one coming.

- We are on our way
into the final heat,

wrapping up an amazing day
of surfing here.

- More sets coming.

- I was the last heat
of the day.

Whatever comes in now,

whoever's in the heat
could have won the contest.

- Luke Shepardson,
again with an amazing wave.

- I saw Luke's waves, and he
took off in the perfect spot,

just barely get exploded on.

He rode his waves perfect.

- I just need to get
one more really good wave.

And then a couple minutes
into the heat,

a wave just chips up right in
front of me, a pretty big one.

I was like, f*ck,
I guess this is me.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[crowd whistling, cheering]

[crowd cheering]

- And at that moment,
I was just like,

that felt like one
of the best waves I ever had.

- Oh, somehow makes it
out of that b*mb.

Does a little victory flip
at the bottom.

- Front-runner Kai Lenny
looking to take the win today.

Oh, and look at this monster.

- I was in the contest mode.

The energy really makes you
want to put on a show

and do your best surfing
of your career.

- There's a lot of people
out there

that are wanting
the same thing as you.

And it's quite intimidating
paddling for a 50-foot wave,

and there's a guy
that's screaming, whoa!

- That last one...

f*ck, man,
almost had it and fell.

That's the game.

- John John Florence--

defending champion,
looking for a repeat.

Oh, my God,
what a day he's having.

He could certainly take
the day with this performance.

- It was getting tough
out there.

I was running out of time,
and I had one wave left.

And I was like, okay, I'm gonna
just go for a Hail Mary.

[people cheering]

And then I turned around and
realized I should have waited

because the ones behind it
were the ones

that were the Hail Mary--
huge ones.

And I ended up getting all
of those directly on my head.

Water patrol came and grabbed
my arm and got me on the sled,

and we flew it up on the beach.

Luckily, right when we got
on the beach...

[horn sounding]

Horn rang.
I was like, perfect.

I don't got to go back out.
I'm done.

- Everyone on the beach,

making their way back
to the presentation area.

- At the end of the day,

when all the scores
are added together,

the top eight are there.

And being able to be
in that group,

it feels like
you've already won something.

[cheers and applause]

- It's just, like,
a dream come true

to even be here at the Eddie.

[cheers and applause]

Being on the podium

with the best big-wave surfers
in the world--

really good feeling.
[chuckles]

I can't believe I got to be
a part of this.

[cheers and applause]

- On behalf of myself
and the Aikau family,

congratulations
to all the contestants.

[cheers and applause]

In seventh place, carrying
on the legacy of his family,

Landon McNamara.

[cheers and applause]

Continuing to push
the limits of riding waves

either big or small,

Kai Lenny.

[cheers and applause]

In fourth place, Billy Kemper.

[cheers and applause]

Third place, Mark Healey.

[cheers and applause]

- Let's go, Healey!

- As it whittles down,
it comes to the final two.

And the winner
is never revealed

until the last moment.

[cheering]

- It got down to me
and John John--

the last two
who were standing there.

I thought, like,
there's no way.

John John is my
favorite surfer in the world.

Like...
[chuckles]

- Second place...
[crowd cheering]

John John Florence.
[cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause continue]

[bright music]

♪ ♪

- Billy and Landon picked me
up and started carrying me.

And I was like, no way,
and I just started crying.

♪ ♪

Definitely felt like a dream,
but that really happened.

Like, it's not a dream.
[chuckles]

- That was one
of the most beautiful moments

in surfing history.

This lifeguard who was on
his break after saving lives--

like, my skin is tingling,
like, even talking about it.

[cheers and applause]

[exhales sharply]
Like...

- Uncle Clyde told a story
when he won the event.

He was out in the lineup,
and a big turtle popped up,

and he sensed
that it was Eddie.

And he followed the turtle
to the zone,

and then he caught the winning
wave from right there.

I had a similar moment.

I was kind of on my own.

Like, nobody else
was right next to me,

and the turtle popped up
right in front of me

and looked at me

and then just went underwater,
like, right there.

It was just
a very spiritual moment.

I don't know if it
was a sign or what

or if this is Eddie saying,
hey, what's up?

[soft music]

♪ ♪

And then
I remember going back.

And I was just like,
yep, okay, that happened.

Back to work.

It's hard for me to fathom
kind of what happened,

because it was kind of just
like any other day.

But it was...

it was a trip.
[chuckles]

♪ ♪

- [laughs]

- Hey...

- It was amazing.

Watch the contest for a bit,
drive down the coast,

and it's just, like,
there's waves everywhere.

I get Cotty on the rope.
The wave's coming fast.

Monster, gnarly.

Heavy, heavy, heavy.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Yee-hoo!

♪ ♪

Yeah!

♪ ♪

The 100-foot wave!

♪ ♪

Yeah, boy!
[laughing]

You were f*cking deep.
That was sick.

The waves were perfect.
I was hungry.

I wanted to surf some waves.

[laughs] It's epic.

- Clear.

So just tow me at the wave.
I just want to warm up.

Just tow me at it.

Didn't get me close enough,
we miss it.

I'm just like, come on, bro.
Got a f*cking Jet Ski.

You've been doing
this for ten years, come on.

Next one, tows me at it.

Doesn't put me
on the wave again.

I'm just like--

Go channel.
Channel!

- You were in the spot.

- I go, Cotty, forget
about throwing me at the wave.

Just drive me
straight down the wave.

Come on!
Slowly!

That's the wave!
Slow down!

And then there's the b*mb--

biggest wave of the day
coming at us.

Go!

[shouting]

♪ ♪

I kicked out.

He grabbed me
right before the next wave.

We get out of there,
and I just lost it.

Turn it off!

I'm just like, this ain't
no f*cking Mickey Mouse show.

What the f*ck?

Get on the rope.
I'm not surfing.

And I didn't ride another wave.

♪ ♪

That was the biggest,
best swell

I've ever seen in Hawaii.

I'm 55.

I got another 10 years
before those swells come.

- [sighs]
- You all right?

[sighs]

I'm trying to do my best,

but whatever I do is not going
to be good enough,

you know, like,
no matter what I do.

[sighing]

And I tell him, like,
f*ck, man, I'm trying my best,

but it is what it is.

I don't know. Maybe Garrett's
feeling time's running out.

You know, like, maybe
that's the thing, you know?

Like, is this the last one?
Is this the last chance?

Maybe that's the pressure.

- I love him.
He's got all my--he's got--

he has my back always.

I know he's always
gonna be there.

Oh.

That wave is still in my mind.

Oof.

Same thing happened to Cortez,
exact same thing.

So he said that he's not used
to me being hungry,

and it's making him nervous.

[groans, shouts]

- I know Garrett's intentions
are pure.

And he loves these people.
I know he loves them, and...

He sometimes doesn't realize...

how he approaches things,

how it really affects people.

- Hello.
- Hello.

- Yeah, right, we've just come
to say goodbye.

[baby yells]
- I know, they're going.

- I'm gonna miss--

- Because these people
look up to him,

and I try to explain to him.

Say, don't leave, Cotty.

If you don't speak with love,
it hurts them.

And you don't want that.

I know you don't want to be
hurting people.

- The sh*t going on
with Garrett--

I've gone through that.

And, like, going through it
again is hard work.

It's been emotional.
It's been tough.

So I was kind of, like,
just happy not to be there.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

[line trilling]

- CJ?
- What's up?

- I'm feeling a little weird
about saying stuff

about Cotty not driving good.

And that didn't
feel good at all.

I mean, I just want
to get him waves.

I just want him to get
his waves of his life.

But having surfed for so many
years, and it was so good,

and I just wanted a wave so
bad, and I felt so frustrated,

and I took all my frustrations
out on him,

when I should have just been
loving to him.

- Yeah. You were thinking
about other things,

instead of just being
in the present.

The great thing is,

everything is fixable.

What if you faced
the scariest thing for you,

which is your real feelings
and what's really important?

What else are we doing here?

We're seeing
how you've been living.

And I get that you want to do
things differently.

- So are we gonna
keep surfing, then?

- [chuckles]

We will keep surfing.

It's gonna look different.

Waves of life, bro.

♪ ♪

[bright tone]