‘It changed me’: Big wave surfer Garrett McNamara on the wipeout that altered his perspective

By Amy Woodyatt and Don Riddell, CNN

(CNN) — As a professional big wave surfer, charging down mountains of water that reach the size of an apartment block, Garrett McNamara doesn’t scare easily.

Perhaps best known for taking on huge walls of water in his television docuseries, “100 Foot Wave,” the 57-year-old Hawaiian earned himself a world record in 2011 – which has since been bested – for surfing the biggest wave in the world, a 78-foot (23.8 meters) monster in Nazaré, Portugal.

But despite his fearlessness and aptitude for risk, the surfer isn’t immune to the peaks and troughs of life.

In 2016, the veteran surfer suffered a wipeout at Mavericks, a famous big wave surf break off the coast south of San Francisco, shattering his shoulder into “10 pieces.”

What followed was months of physical pain and “the most challenging six months ever in my life,” he said to CNN Sports.

“It was a very dark, dark time of our life, our relationship and working through that,” his wife Nicole told CNN, explaining that the accident “began a very long journey of depression.”

“At that time, Garrett I feel was really actually going and chasing these waves for the wrong reason … (for) most of our relationship, he was doing it for the right reasons,” she added.

“He was trying to prove himself to the wrong people for the wrong reasons, and it was one of the first times I didn’t actually travel with him.”

While she was at home and caring for their young son in 2016, she received a brief message informing her that her husband had been injured.

The experience of the injury, McNamara told CNN, “totally changed me,” and almost 10 years later, he said his perspective on life has transformed.

“I’ve been really doing well, better than I’ve ever done on land, and I have released the monkey. The monkey is not on my back. I don’t have to ride every swell everywhere in the world,” he said.

“I’m really looking at being more present, being with the family, doing things with purpose and intention, and taking my time, slowing down – all things that aren’t normal for me.”

A sport that involves the whole family

The life of a big wave surfer is one that few could imagine, involving copious amounts of travel, change and risk, and McNamara said, for the most part: “We fly by the seat of our pants and I just go and do whatever this amazing woman shares with me.”

Nicole added, “We’re polar opposites, but I think that’s what makes it work.”

“I’m the grounding force that he doesn’t have, and he’s this excitement and adventure and freedom that I definitely don’t have but crave it,” she explained.

Now entering its third season, “100 Foot Wave” explores the challenges of the sport for a crew of surfers – and their families – as they continue to push boundaries. This involves dealing with the death of a tow surfer, brain injury and the impacts of these tragedies on a community.

Away from filming, in their day to day life, the couple still navigates regular situations like raising their children, who have inherited their parents’ love for the ocean, though McNamara explained to CNN, “I’m not real excited for anybody to follow in my footsteps. I am an open book when it comes to all the challenges I faced.”

“If (my son) Barrel wants to follow in my footsteps, I will just make sure he trains harder than anybody and is ready for what he’s getting himself into,” the veteran surfer added.

As for what’s next in life, if and when “100 Foot Wave” ends, McNamara says he will always have an affinity with the ocean.

“I won’t ride horses, I won’t jump out of airplanes … I’m very comfortable in the ocean and I’ve always focused on riding big waves.

“I feel like I’ll be riding big waves ‘til the end, but maybe vicariously through people that I’m helping and mentoring and driving the jet ski – I’ll be able to drive the jet ski forever.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.