'Riding Giants' - (2OO4) - PG
Movie Website
Directed by Stacy Peralta
Written by Stacy Peralta and Sam George
Featured: Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, Laird Hamilton
The three names above mean nothing to you, unless you know about being stoked, getting worked or possibly even Mr. Zogg's Sex Wax. They are the premier sufers of yesterday and today, and by that I don't mean the howlies you see on ESPN's X-Games. These gentlemen have all taken it further.
'Riding Giants' is about the history of surfing, with a concentration on what is known as "big wave riding". These are the guys who go out and catch mammoth waves when other people are evacuating.
The movie starts out with a 2O-minute overview of surfing history, bringing you up into the mid-2Oth century. There you'll hear about the first big-wave riders, featuring surf legend Greg Noll. Not only a flambouyant surfer just when the sport needed it, but also well known for his surfboard manufacturing in the 195O's. Greg's expliots are tremendous as he's credited with riding one of the biggest waves to ever hit Hawaii.
Next there's Jeff CLark, a northern California surfer who found a spot, literally all by himself, which came to be known as the Mavericks. This rocky crag of coastline was known better to shipping captains; well, known as a place to avoid. Jeff and a buddy saw this place from afar, but Jeff couldn't convince anyone to go with him. So he braved the ½-mile swim through frigid waters to reach a place where the waves would get as big as Wiamea Bay, Hawaii on a good day. There he surfed alone for almost fifteen years before the rest of the sportsmen burst onto the scene.
And then you hear about the man that the others call the best: Laird Hamilton. Laird grew up in Hawaii, a blonde son of a divorced mother when one day, while body surfing, he met pro surfer Bill Hamilton. An instant bond was formed and Laird introduced Bill to his mom. They were married and soon Laird was immersed in the culture of surfing. When he grew up Laird loved to ride bigger waves, but he (and everyone else) was held back.
You see, the hard part about riding big waves is the takeoff. Once you've got that, it's all physics at higher speed. Laird and some buddies were out horsing around with a tow boat and had a revelation. It was called "tow-in surfing" and would be refined with the use of one-man watercraft, generically known as the Jet-Ski. And that blows the lid off!
You will be amazed and astounded to see the size and volume of waves that can only be ridden by Laird and a handful of other surfers in the world. You will feel the power of the ocean and be exhilirated. A true edge-of-your-seat movie.
) to remember this, but for those who aren't I just wanted to recall the nostalgia and capture the spirit for inspiration. 
