CNN
–
As a professional big wave surfer, when you charge a mountain of water that reaches the size of an apartment block, Garrett McNamara is not easily scary.
Perhaps best known for taking away the huge water wall with his TV documen “100-foot waves,” the 57-year-old Hawaiian won a world record in 2011.
However, despite his fearlessness and suitability for risk, the surfer is not affected by the peaks and valleys of life.
In 2016, the veteran surfer was wiped out by a breaking Mavericks, a massive wave surf known off the southern coast of San Francisco, shattering his shoulders into “10.”
Then there were months of physical pain and “the most challenging six months of my life.” He told CNN Sports.
“It was a very dark, dark time in our lives, and worked through our relationships and through it,” his wife Nicole told CNN, explaining the accident “started a very long journey of depression.”
“At the time, Garrett felt like he was actually going and chasing these waves for the wrong reasons.
“He was trying to prove himself to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. That was the first time I had actually not travelled with him.”
While she was at home and caring for her young son in 2016, she received a simple message informing her husband that she had been injured.
The injury experience told McNamara that it “altogether changed me,” and nearly a decade later, he said his perspective on life had changed.
“I was really good at it, I was better off than I did on land and released the monkeys. The monkeys are not on my back. You don’t have to ride anywhere in the world,” he said.
“I really have more to be with my family, to do things with purpose and intention, taking my time and taking my time.
The life of a big wave surfer is most people who can imagine with tons of travel, changes and risks, and McNamara mostly says, “We flew into pants seating and I do whatever this amazing woman shares with me.”
Nicole said, “We’re the opposite polar regions, but I think that’s what makes it work.”
“I’m a grounding force he doesn’t have, and he’s this excitement, adventure and freedom that I absolutely don’t have, but long for,” she explained.
In its third season, “100-foot waves” explores sporting challenges for surfer crews and their families who continue to push boundaries. This includes addressing the death of tow surfers, brain damage, and the impact these tragedy has on the community.
Away from filming, in daily life, couples still navigate regular situations such as raising children. The children inherit their parents’ love for the sea, but McNamara explained to CNN.
“If (my son) Barrel wants to follow in my footsteps, I’ll train him more hard than anyone else and make sure he’s ready for what’s in himself,” the veteran surfer added.
As for the next thing in life, when the “100-foot wave” ends, McNamara says that he has always had an affinity with the ocean.
“I don’t ride horses, I don’t jump out of the plane. I’m very comfortable at the ocean and I’m always focused on riding big waves.
“I feel like I’ll be on a big wave until the end, but I can drive my jet skis forever, proxy through people who are helping, coaching and driving them.”