Latest news with #bigwaves
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
WA surfer Willow Hardy has no regrets despite Margaret River Pro elimination
Day two of the Margaret River Pro is underway in Western Australia's south-west and competitors are wrestling some of the biggest waves in the event's history. After the event was placed on hold for two days due to a lack of swell, surging waves over 3 metres have challenged world champions and broken boards. Undaunted, Margaret River teenager Willow Hardy claimed one of the biggest waves of the day, jumping on it less than one minute into her elimination heat. An untimely wipeout, followed by a tight heat, resulted in the 18-year-old just missing out with a total score of 7.97, but she lost no respect as the global surfing community watched on in awe. "I made the drop so I was starting to think about doing a turn and then I just went headfirst, crayfish diving," she said. "I don't really know what happened, I want to see it back. It didn't feel that big, but everyone said it was solid." Also making Margaret River proud was Jacob Willcox, coming out on top in a head-to-head heat against world number one Italo Ferreira just hours after surviving the elimination round. "It's almost anyone's game out there you just need to be able to pick the good waves," he said. Australian surfing icon Sally Fitzgibbons posted 8.33, nabbing a crucial second place in the heat to avoid dropping out of the tour altogether. She said it was an emotional day in the water. "I don't really mind it being big and chunky, it's just the whole scenario and riding the highs and lows of it," she said. "Your board snaps and there's like three minutes to go and you hear other people getting waves and you're like, 'I think that's it for me'. "So it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and then you come in and then they say you made it and you live to see another day." While the swell put world champions to the test and broke boards, it was business as usual for Margaret River's locals. Brody Mulik, 14, has already mastered the break. "I definitely was a little bit nervous when I was first paddling out but I kind of got used to it," he said. "You can just like feel your heart pounding when you come off the wave. It's really short but really intense." Mulik said the main challenge was the take-off point which was "really tight", meaning making the most of priority position would be key for competitors. "You can't be a little bit wide, you cant be a little bit deep. You have to be in the right spot," he said.
Condé Nast Traveler
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Condé Nast Traveler
'100 Foot Wave' Season 3 Chases Surf from Nazaré to San Diego
On Location peels back the curtain one some of your favorite films, television shows, and more. After watching an episode of 100 Foot Wave, the HBO series featuring big wave surfer Garrett McNamara, you'll likely be left with goosebumps—it's anxiety-inducing to watch humans tumble down monstrous walls of water; it's emotional to see big dreams ram up against unpredictable conditions; and eye opening to see how so many lives revolve around the raw power of the ocean. But season three also offers a new look at McNamara since it first began charting his journey to conquer the world's biggest wave in Nazaré, Portugal. Four years after the show began, McNamara's life has changed a lot following some serious injuries, and shifts in perspective brought on by starting a family, as have the lives of those who call the small fishing village home. Over the course of five episodes, McNamara, his wife Nicole, and a gaggle of world-famous surfers like Justine Dupont and Lucas 'Chumbo' Chianca reflect on what it means to surf adrenaline-pumping—and deadly—swells. And most importantly, it begins to ask the question few record-setting surfers like to face: When is enough enough? We caught up with Garrett McNamara on a recent visit to New York to hear about both the personal turning points he reaches this season and the far-flung waves that inspired them—plus, the secret surf spots he hopes to uncover in the year ahead because, when it comes to surfing, it's hard to ever say you've had enough. Garrett McNamara surfs in Nazaré, Portugal, the main setting of the '100 Foot Wave.' 100 Foot Wave/Warner Bros. Discovery You've done two seasons of 100 Foot Wave. How was it returning to Nazaré for the third season—how has it changed? Nazaré has dramatically changed. The whole country of Portugal has transformed since 2010. The attention that the wave brought is unheard of, astronomical, unbelievable. Tourism in Nazaré used to close for the winter and now things are open all year. There was nobody on the road down to the lighthouse in the first few years we were filming and now, there are 20 to 100 giant tour buses every day and there are people just looking at the wave. They come all winter, all summer… even though there's no wave in summer.
