The second season of the Emmy®-winning HBO Original six-part docuseries 100 FOOT WAVE, directed and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith (HBO’s “Branson”) and executive produced by Emmy®, Golden Globe®, and Tony® winner Joe Lewis (“Fleabag”), debuts SUNDAY, APRIL 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) with new episodes premiering subsequent Sundays at the same time on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max. Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom and Maria Zuckerman also serve as executive producers for Topic Studios.
Synopsis: 100 FOOT WAVE returnsto Nazaré, Portugal — with stops in Hawaii and California — for a heart-pounding and adrenaline-filled second season following big wave legend Garrett McNamara, his world-class surfing peers, and some surprising newcomers as they continue to push the boundaries of their sport and the limits of their minds and bodies. As much a story of personal relationships, longing, fear, and love, the series spans the ‘20/‘21 and ‘21/‘22 big wave seasons which began with the uncertainties of life under COVID-19 and ended with some of the largest swells of the surfers’ careers. The one constant for these extreme athletes is contending with the highs and lows of their perilous and unpredictable lifestyle in which every big wave has the potential to write a dramatic new chapter in their personal stories. With a mix of intimate interviews, verité scenes and personal archive, as well as stunning aerial, water-based and underwater footage from the Emmy®-winning cinematography team, the series captures a world unlike any other.
A decade after McNamara conquered his first record-breaking wave in 2011, the small coastal town of Nazaré, with its dramatic cliffs and epic offshore breaks, continues to attract the best big wave surfers in the world, who rely on the powerful but indifferent ocean to help them realize their dreams while avoiding mortal injury. McNamara, expecting the birth of his third child with wife Nicole — which proves to be its own unexpected challenge — embraces a new direction in his career while still heeding the pull of the ocean. The season reunites us with the charismatic surfers we’ve come to know from season one, including Andrew “Cotty” Cotton, Justine Dupont, and CJ Macias, and introduces us to dynamic new players, such as local teenager Tony Laureano who tries to break into the upper echelons of the sport. United in their passion to push past near-death experiences and self-doubt in pursuit of the elusive transcendence, the surfers feel at the height of their achievement.
Episode Descriptions:
Chapter I: “Epsilon”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT)
At the start of the new big wave season in October 2020, Hurricane Epsilon brings huge swells to Nazaré and the biggest names in surfing congregate to battle for the largest wave, including Garrett, McNamara, Andrew “Cotty” Cotton, Justine Dupont, and youngster Tony Laureano. As thousands of spectators line the cliffs, the waters become dangerously choked with surfers and jet skis.
Chapter II: “The Circus is Burning”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 23 (8:00-9:00 ET/PT)
Portugal’s National Health Commission closes down all surfing due to Covid protocols, stranding the surfers for several weeks. Ramon Laureano, Tony’s father and tow partner, watches his son evolve as a big wave surfer. Garrett McNamara leaves town as he and others contend with their inability to surf waves in Nazaré.
Chapter III: “Jaws”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 30 (8:00-9:00 ET/PT)
Justine Dupont chases a swell in the Pacific at Mavericks, and then at Jaws in Hawaii, where three years earlier she suffered the biggest injury of her career. Returning to Maui, Dupont faces her fears and surprises even herself. Garrett McNamara’s brother-in-law C.J. Macias and superstar Kai Lenny also have successful runs at Jaws, while McNamara is not so lucky.
Chapter IV: “Partners”
Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 7 (8:00-9:00. ET/PT)
In the fall of 2021 and the start of the new big wave season, Garrett McNamara is now the director of the World Surf League’s Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazaré, but eight-month pregnant Nicole McNamara and their young children fall ill with COVID-19, complicating his preparations and the plans for the birth. When the competition begins in December, Tony Laureano isn’t invited to participate with the best in class. For the surfers competing, challenging conditions and terrifying wipeouts highlight the importance of their relationships with jet ski pilots who are also rescuers. Nicole McNamara gives birth to baby Fé.
Chapter V: “Lost At Sea”
Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 14 (8:00-9:00. ET/PT)
The huge swells at Nazaré continue to challenge and confound the best surfers in the world, and several dramatic rescues take place close to the perilous rocks. At the Gigantes De Nazaré event in January 2022, several wipeouts and close calls threaten lives, as danger is narrowly averted by acts of heroism and strength. Nicole McNamara’s brother, C.J. Macias, catches an enormous wave, but then disaster strikes.
Chapter VI: “Force Majeure”
Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT)
In the aftermath of his accident, C.J. Macias contemplates his relationship with big wave surfing, as does Andrew “Cotty” Cotton. While Cotty places in the second WSL contest of the season, Tony Laureano finally gets the opportunity to compete as Justine Dupont’s partner. Results are disappointing for the duo, but Laureano gets another chance to shine in Spain. Garrett McNamara takes his six-year-old son Barrel into the waves at Nazaré for the first time, while still chasing his dream of the 100 foot wave.
Featured Participants: Subjects include surfers Garrett McNamara, his wife Nicole McNamara and their children; Andrew “Cotty” Cotton, Justine Dupont, Fred Davis, C.J. Macias. Antonio “Tony” Laureano, Kai Lenny, Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca, Ian Cosenza, Michelle Des Bouillons, Alemao De Maresias, Nic Van Rupp, Pedro “Scooby” Vianna.
Season two of 100 FOOT WAVE will also receive an official companion podcast hosted by Nicole McNamara, who will sit down with the cast and crew to discuss topics relevant to each episode, providing listeners with another look inside the world of big wave surfing. Premiering in tandem with the show on Sunday, April 16, the 100 Foot Wave Podcast is co-produced by HBO and Topic Studios and will release new episodes each Sunday.
Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents 100 FOOT WAVE, a production of Topic Studios, Library Films and Amplify Pictures. Directed by Chris Smith; executive producers, Chris Smith, Joe Lewis, Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom and Maria Zuckerman. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner.
