Surfer Garrett McNamara’s ‘100 Foot Wave’ documentary to be screened today at Kauaʻi hotel for World Oceans Day

Surfing pioneer Garrett McNamara described the experience of the big waves in Nazaré, Portugal, like “stepping on the moon.”

The icy water building into a wave came down like an avalanche, “gaining in speed, momentum and power,” McNamara recalled Monday.

“No one surfed it because no one thought it was possible,” McNamara said.

In the 2000s, McNamara and his team were lured to Portugal on reports that 100-foot waves were breaking on the rugged coastline. His goal was to ride the monster wave. Now 57, his journey has been featured in an HBO Emmy award-winning docuseries: “100 Foot Wave.”

To celebrate World Oceans Day, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay at Fort Alexander in Princeville will be screening the third episode in the third season of the series tonight at 6:30 p.m. The complete third season is streaming on HBO Max.

Alexis Eaton, director of marketing, public relations and programming at the Kauaʻi hotel, said: “The global success of ‘100 Foot Wave’ as it takes viewers around the world offers a unique platform to amplify the hotel’s commitment to safeguarding the planet in all that we do.”

By prioritizing sustainability and ocean health, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay tries to inspire guests to travel consciously and adopt environmentally friendly behaviors. Said Eaton: “Travel can be a powerful motivator for change.”

McNamara is excited about the opportunity to share his journey in big wave surfing on the Garden Isle, where he lived during the winter of 1986.

“Hanalei Bay is one of my favorite waves,” he said.

McNamara has been impressed by 1 Hotel’s sustainability mission and believes every day should be World Ocean Day.

McNamara has been riding big waves long enough that he doesn’t often feel fear. He said he’s never looking to conquer or challenge a wave. Instead, he wants to complement it.

“It’s a dance with Mother Nature,” he said. “My goal is to ride the wave to the best of my ability and be at one with the wave.”

The HBO series follows McNamara as he pursues his passion. The first season of “100 Foot Wave” premiered on the streaming platform in 2021 and is a collection of archived footage from 2010 to 2019.

“The first season was the most special because we discovered this wave in Portugal in front of the world,” McNamara said.

The loud and powerful Nazaré waves come from every direction in howling winds and cold water. McNamara said there’s no real channel.

Towed out to the break on a jet ski, the big wave surfer said there are smaller waves within the large wave that “you’re flying through.”

“You’re catching air and barely holding on, hoping you can make it down the wave,” he said.

As a result of the documentary, it turned the quiet town of Nazaré into a premier surfing destination for surfers worldwide.

In November 2011, McNamara claimed a Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed after a ride in Nazaré. It was measured at 78 feet. He said he rode a 100-foot wave in Portugal in 2013, but the height of the wave was unverified.

McNamara, who grew up on the North Shore of O‘ahu, spent his youth surfing competitively. He recalled pivotal moments in his career that led him to Portugal. The first was in 2002 when he took first place at the Jaws World Cup on Maui for tow-in surfing, a technique where a surfer is towed into a breaking wave by a Jet Ski.

He returned to the competition the following year, where he took first place for his ride in a barreling wave.

Another pivotal moment for McNamara came in 2007 when he surfed waves generated by a 300-foot calving glacier in Alaska.

“I thought I was done,” McNamara said after his Alaska wave. “Then this quest for the 100-foot wave came when we found Nazaré.”

Season two of the “100 Foot Wave” was a continuation of that journey in Nazaré, where new characters and an approach to big wave riding were part of the story.

Season 3 is life and surf beyond Portugal, with filming taking place in 2023 and 2024. McNamara thinks it’s the best season yet.

Season 3 branches out to other surf locations like Cortes Bank, Hawai‘i and Ireland.

“There’s a lot of fun, uncharted territory on the land and sea, along with new friends,” McNamara said.

Life has calmed down over the past few years after the documentary series first aired and was well-received. McNamara has retired from big wave surfing and is living between O‘ahu and Italy with his wife and their three children.

“Now, I just ride waves for the love of it,” McNamara said.

He will be at the screening to share stories with Kaua‘i surfer Sebastian “Seabass” Zietz, who will emcee the event.

“‘100 Foot Wave’ is as much about the surfers as it is about surfing,” Eaton said. “By focusing on these personal connections, the show aligns with the global call to appreciate and respect the ocean.”

Ticket sales for the June 10 screening will benefit the restoration of the wave sculpture at Hanalei School by the Hawaii Surf Association.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $28.52 per person and $44.52 for a family of two adults and two children under the age of 10. Admission is free for Hawai‘i Surf Association Youth Athlete members. Click here to buy a ticket.