Garrett McNamara: Surfing A 100-Foot Wave | E67

Welcome to the second part of In Search of Excellence episode featuring Garrett McNamara, a legendary surfer who owns the world record for the largest wave ever surfed, 100 feet tall, which is the equivalent of the 10-story office building or the height of Niagara Falls.  He is the first person ever to ride a wave created by breaking glaciers.  Garrett is also the author of the book “Hound of the Sea: Wild Man. Wild Waves. Wild Wisdom.” and the star of the fantastic HBO documentary TV series called “100 Foot Wave."He is also a dedicated philanthropist. Garrett and his wife, Nicole, started an amazing Waves of Life McNamara Foundation, which helps kids to discover nature and be more environmentally conscious and self-sufficient, with a particular focus on disadvantaged kids. Time stamps:02:05 From a hippie commune to a crazy cultBorn in Massachusetts, grew up in BerkleyRaised by a single mom in a hippie communeFound the cult The Christ FamilyHe was around 6, and his brother was 4Those were the crazy times 07:57 Life in HawaiiWas being poor motivation for his success later in life?In Hawaii, mom had a husband DarylLived on welfareAlways wanted to feel secure and not worry about the money 11:14 Surviving elementary schoolFirst went to elementary school in BerkleyIn Hawaii, he fought with Filipino gangsIn high school, fought with another guy and took him outHawaiians and Filipinos fought mostly with brass knuckles and knives 16:30 Garrett’s first surfing boardAnybody with darker skin who moves to Hawaii is accepted fasterHaole – Hawaiian term for anyone that is not a native HawaiianHis garage sale surfboardSurfed for the first time with his friend Butchy Boy Wong, a Chinese HawaiianHe fell in love with surfing at 11 21:25 Falling in love with big wavesHis bad experience surfing at Sunset and his fear of big wavesDidn’t have a father in Hawaii, but had father figures (Roy Patterson, Gustavo Liberte)Was hanging out with Gustavo, smoked marijuanaWhen he was 16, Gustavo wanted to take him to surf at SunsetGustavo literally grabbed him by the neck and took him 27:27 How Garrett quit drugs and alcoholWas using drugs often, but stopped at 19He was invited to a Triple CrownRealized that it was possible to earn a living from surfingQuit using pot, cocaine, and alcohol to become a professional surferHow much money did he earn in Japan? 33:30 Garrett’s brother LiamLiam was better than Garrett, had more sponsors, made more moneyLiam became the most photographed surfer in the worldCaught more waves than anybody at Rocky Point and PipelineHe should have won the Pipeline Masters one year but didn’tBreaking his femur and how it affected his career 41:35 What is big wave surfing?Surfing on big waves became popularAnderson Cooper described it as cruising at the side of a skyscraper but the skyscraper is collapsing on youGarrett describes his best experience with big wave surfingAbout Randall Kaplan: Randall Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, executive coach, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, and host of In Search of Excellence. Through his Extreme Preparation™ methodology, he helps founders, executives, business owners, and ambitious professionals improve strategy, communication, decision-making, and execution.Coaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | X