In the world of surfing, Garrett McNamara is a living legend. The 56-year-old American is the very first to have surfed the giant breakers of Nazaré, in Portugal. These can reach around thirty meters, or 100 feet. In 2011, he established a Guinness Book record on a “monster” of almost 24 m, a record held until 2017. Since then, the Portuguese seaside resort has become a global spot for big wave surfing.
As part of a partnership with the Swiss watch brand Charriol, Garrett McNamara was in Geneva on Tuesday evening to present a television series dedicated to this quest for the biggest wave: “100 Foot Wave” ), broadcast on HBO. A project imagined by his wife Nicole, who wanted to make a film about surpassing oneself, with the idea that “if you manage to overcome obstacles, it doesn’t matter if you are injured, it doesn’t matter where you come from, everything is then possible. The hour-and-a-half film project eventually turned into a series. “100 Foot Wave” now has two seasons and has won two awards at the American television Oscars: “We won two Emmys, it’s crazy,” rejoices the intrepid surfer.
The series begins with the discovery of Nazaré following an e-mail sent by a resident, reporting these enormous waves. “No one had ever surfed there,” continues the American. Everyone thought it was impossible. The year we arrived, 2010, we were there to explore and see what was possible to do, in the safest way.” Thus, the presence of an observer on a cliff, a second jet-ski (in addition to the one which winches the surfer offshore), a fire truck, an ambulance and a rescuer on the beach has become essential. “Safety is everything,” insists the former record holder. In thirteen years, only one death has occurred on site: “Last year, we lost someone, it’s very sad.”
In Nazaré, on a calm day, “it’s like being a kid in a candy store, there’s fun,” says Garrett McNamara. On the most hectic days, we also have fun, but it’s more serious and demanding. It’s spiritual and uplifting. But you’re only as good as your team.” The third season of “100 Foot Wave” is already ready “and we have just shot the fourth, but we have not yet done the interviews,” explains the man who started surfing at 11 in Hawaii. “My mother gave my brother and me boards and that’s where the passion began. I never thought I would have a career, I was super lucky.”
Alaïa Bay in Valais: “the best place to learn”
Last year, Garrett McNamara tested Alaïa Bay, the surfing facility in Valais: “It’s incredible, we’re in the middle of the mountains and we have perfect waves. There are all levels. If you want to learn to surf, this is the best place in the world. It’s a controlled environment, the same wave comes every time.”
