100 Foot Wave

American surfing documentary series March 2025 100-foot-wave-s2-logo-3710x300.png skin-invert Documentary Chris Smith United States 3 17 Chris Smith Joe Lewis Ryan Heller Maria Zuckerman Michael Bloom Nancy Abraham Lisa Heller Bentley Weiner Connor Culhane Adrienne Gits Abhay Sofsky Brandon Valentin English 52-60 minutes Topic Studios Amplify Pictures Library Films React Films Cinetic Media HBO 2021 07 18 present 100 Foot Wave is an American documentary television series directed by Chris Smith, revolving around big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara as he traveled to Nazaré, Portugal with the goal of conquering a 100-foot wave. It premiered on HBO on July 18, 2021.http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/05/21/hbo-and-hbo-max-summer-programming-overview-728512/20210521warnermedia01/ HBO & HBO Max Summer Programming Overview The Futon Critic May 21, 2021 June 7, 2021http://thefutoncritic.com/video/2021/06/21/video-hbo-releases-official-teaser-for-documentary-series-100-foot-wave-premiering-july-18-839211/20210621hbo01/ Video: HBO Releases Official Teaser for Documentary Series "100 Foot Wave," Premiering July 18 The Futon Critic June 21, 2021 The third season premiered on May 1, 2025. Plot McNamara's career as a big-wave surfer is chronicled. The series focuses on his time in Nazaré, where he hopes to find and conquer a 100-foot wave. He works alongside Nazaré locals to transform the town into a surfing destination known for its immense waves. Other big-wave surfers are also profiled. Episodes #005F6C #Season 1 (2022) 6 2021 7 18 2021 8 22 #061453 #Season 2 (2023) 6 2023 4 16 2023 5 21 #7A99B1 #Season 3 (2025) 5 2025 5 1 2025 5 29 Season 1 (2021) #005F6C 5 5 20 20 20 http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/100-foot-wave/listings/ 100 Foot Wave Futon Critic July 25, 2021 U.S. 11 1 1 Chapter I: Sea Monsters Chris Smith 2021 7 18 Professional big wave surfer Garrett McNamara begins "tow surfing," using jet skis to be able to get on taller and taller waves. After McNamara is filmed riding the barrel of a 20-foot wave at Hawaii's famous Jaws surf site, the video gets shared around the world and a resident of Nazaré Portugal reaches out to Garrett to try to get him interested in the mammoth waves that crash onto Nazaré's shore. McNamara goes to Nazaré and builds a team of like-minded surfers in hopes of catching the mythical 100-foot wave. 005F6C 2 2 Chapter II: We're Not Surfers Chris Smith 2021 7 25 McNamara and his team return to Nazaré for another season of surfing. The team struggles through a number of accidents and challenges but eventually develop a set of safety procedures that enable them to surf Nazaré's wave with less chance of injury or death. The struggles pay off when McNamara catches a nearly 80 foot tall wave that catapults him to international fame and makes him the holder of the world record for largest wave surfed. 005F6C 3 3 Chapter III: Mavericks Chris Smith 2021 8 1 After losing his drive to continue surfing at Nazaré, McNamara decides to return to competitive surfing at other big-wave sites. In order to compete in a tournament at California's Mavericks surf site, he must surf there regularly, something that he has done many times in the past. McNamara returns to Mavericks only to suffer a horrific injury on a wave he should have aced. 005F6C 4 4 Chapter IV: Dancing With God Chris Smith 2021 8 8 McNamara recovers from the injuries he sustained at Mavericks and begins training to return to Nazaré for another season. While surfing at Indonesia's G-Land site, Garrett suffers more injuries that threaten to take him off the waves permanently. Meanwhile, a friend of Garretts catches an 80-foot wave at Nazaré, taking the world record from McNamara. McNamara resolves to continue his hunt for a 100-foot wave. 005F6C 5 5 Chapter V: The Circus Chris Smith 2021 8 15 0.205https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-8-15-2021.html Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.15.2021 Showbuzz Daily Mitch Metcalf August 17, 2021 August 27, 2021 August 22, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210822155834/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-8-15-2021.html dead As dozens of top surfers from across the world arrive in Nazaré to train and prepare for a major big-wave competition, Garret continues to struggle with his physical injuries and mental preparedness. He knows he is not ready to surf in the competition but seeing the other surfers makes him consider competing anyway. Garrett also has misgivings about the state of safety plans at the competition, and tries to convince the organizers to beef up their plans. 005F6C 6 6 Chapter VI: More Than Just a Wipeout Chris Smith 2021 8 22 0.197https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-8-22-2021.html Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.22.2021 Mitch Metcalf August 24, 2021 Showbuzz Daily August 27, 2021 March 19, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220319040218/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-8-22-2021.html dead The day of the Nazaré competition has arrived, and Garrett decides not to compete but instead support his long-time friend and teammate Andrew "Cotty" Cotton. The competition does not go smoothly, with a major accident that has secondary effects on Cotty. After the competition, Garrett tries surfing at Nazaré again and realizes that he can resume big-wave surfing. The episode concludes with retrospectives from a number of the surfers who appeared on various episodes throughout the season. 005F6C Season 2 (2023) section April 2025 #061453 5 5 20 20 20 20 https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/hbo-0/100-foot-wave/emmy-winning-hbo-original-docuseries-100-foot-wave-returns-its-second-season-april-16 Emmy Winning HBO Original Docuseries 100 FOOT WAVE Returns For Its Second Season April 16 WarnerMedia March 27, 2023 April 16, 2023 U.S. 11 7 1 Chapter I: Epsilon Chris Smith 2023 4 16 0.121https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-16-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 4.16.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated Showbuzz Daily Mitch Metcalf April 18, 2023 April 28, 2023 April 18, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230418144527/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-16-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html dead 061453 8 2 Chapter II: The Circus is Burning Chris Smith 2023 4 23 0.100https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-23-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 4.23.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated Showbuzz Daily Mitch Salem April 25, 2023 April 28, 2023 April 25, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230425144624/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-23-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html dead 061453 9 3 Chapter III: Jaws Chris Smith 2023 4 30 0.155https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-30-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 4.30.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated Showbuzz Daily Mitch Salem May 2, 2023 May 2, 2023 May 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230503060408/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-4-30-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html dead 061453 10 4 Chapter IV: Partners Chris Smith 2023 5 7 061453 11 5 Chapter V: Lost at Sea Chris Smith 2023 5 14 0.083https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-5-14-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 5.14.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated Showbuzz Daily Mitch Salem May 16, 2023 May 16, 2023 May 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516154406/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-sunday-5-14-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html dead 061453 12 6 Chapter VI: Force Majeure Chris Smith 2023 5 21 061453 Season 3 (2025) #7A99B1 5 5 20 20 20 U.S. 11 13 1 Chapter I: Risk Chris Smith 2025 5 1 #7A99B1 14 2 Chapter II: Undertow Chris Smith 2025 5 8 #7A99B1 15 3 Chapter III: Cortes Bank Chris Smith 2025 5 15 #7A99B1 16 4 Chapter IV: The Eddie Chris Smith 2025 5 22 #7A99B1 17 5 Chapter V: Family Business Chris Smith 2025 5 29 #7A99B1 Production Smith was approached by Joe Lewis to direct a documentary feature film about McNamara. However, when the first cut of the film turned out to be six hours long, Smith felt it would be better suited as a docuseries.https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/chris-smith-100-foot-wave-tiger-king-documentaries-1235021265/ Filmmaker Chris Smith on '100 Foot Wave,' Surfing and 'Tiger King' Variety Addie Morfoot July 18, 2021 August 2, 2021 In February 2021, it was announced that a 6-episode documentary series would be produced by Topic Studios and distributed by HBO.https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/pt/media-release/hbo-announces-six-part-documentary-series-100-foot-wave?language_content_entity=en HBO Announces Six-Part Documentary Series 100 FOOT WAVE WarnerMedia February 8, 2021 June 7, 2021https://deadline.com/2021/02/hbo-announces-six-part-sports-documentary-100-foot-wave-focused-on-big-wave-pioneer-garrett-mcnamaras-quest-for-surfings-everest-1234688969/ HBO Announces Six-Part Sports Documentary '100 Foot Wave' Focused On Big-Wave Pioneer Garrett McNamara's Quest For Surfing's Everest Deadline Hollywood Tom Tapp February 8, 2021 June 7, 2021 Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. References 2022 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Documentary – (Non-Theatrical) Connor Culhane, Adrienne Gits, Abhay Sofsky, and Brandon Valentin (for "Chapter I: Sea Monsters") Tangcay Jazz 27 January 2022 'Belfast,' 'King Richard,' 'No Time to Die' Among ACE Eddie Awards Nominations Variety https://variety.com/2022/artisans/awards/ace-eddie-awards-nominations-2022-full-list-belfast-king-richard-no-time-to-die-1235164534/ 30 January 2022Winners of the 72nd Annual ACE EDDIE AWARDS https://americancinemaeditors.org/2022-eddie-awards-winners/ americancinemaeditors.org 10 March 2022 Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Broadcast Cinematography Chris Smith, Jerry Ricciotti, Mike Prickett, and Laurent Pujol https://www.indiewire.com/2021/10/cinema-eye-honors-documentary-nominees-1234673138/ Cinema Eye Honors Nominees: 'American Utopia' and 'City So Real' Top Broadcast Categories IndieWire Anne Thompson October 20, 2021 February 8, 2022 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Joe Lewis, Chris Smith, Maria Zuckerman, Ryan Heller, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/100-foot-wave 100 Foot Wave Academy of Television Arts & Sciences July 12, 2022 July 12, 2022 Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Mike Prickett and Laurent Pujol (for "Chapter IV: Dancing with God") Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Sports Program 100 Foot Wave Pedersen Erik PGA Awards Nominations: 'Licorice Pizza', 'Don't Look Up', 'Dune', 'King Richard' & 'CODA' Among Pics Vying For Marquee Prize https://deadline.com/2022/01/pga-awards-nominations-2022-producers-guild-1234920746/ Deadline January 27, 2022 January 27, 2022 2023 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Maria Zuckerman, Ryan Heller, Joe Lewis, Chris Smith, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Antoine Chicoye, Mikey Corker, Vincent Kardasik, Alexandre Lesbats, Chris Smith, Laurent Pujol, João Vidinha, and Michael Darrigade (for "Chapter VI: Force Majeure") Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Alex Bayer, Alex Keipper, and Quin O'Brien (for "Chapter III: Jaws") Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Max Holland, Eric Di Stefano, and Kevin Senzaki (for "Chapter V: Lost at Sea") Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Keith Hodne (for "Chapter V: Lost at Sea") Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program Zach Rothfeld (for "Chapter V: Lost at Sea") 2024 American Cinema Editors Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) Alex Bayer, Alex Keipper, and Quin O'Brien (for "Jaws") Pond Steve January 25, 2024 ACE Eddie Awards 2024: The Complete List of Nominees https://www.thewrap.com/oppenheimer-killers-of-the-flower-moon-ace-eddie-nominations-full-list-2024/ January 25, 2024 TheWrap en-US Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music/Series or Specials Keith Hodne (for "Chapter V: Lost at Sea") Pedersen Erik January 9, 2024 Cinema Audio Society Awards Nominations: Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Eras Tour & More https://deadline.com/2024/01/cinema-audio-society-awards-nominations-2023-list-1235699690/ January 9, 2024 Deadline Hollywood en-US Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary Keith Hodne, Max Holland, Eric Di Stefano, Kevin Senzaki, Eli Akselrod, and Mika Anami (for "Chapter V: Lost at Sea") Tangcay Jazz January 16, 2024 Oppenheimer Dominates Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards Nominations https://variety.com/2024/artisans/news/mpse-golden-reel-awards-nominations-2024-1235873743/ January 16, 2024 Variety en-US Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Sports Program 100 Foot Wave Bergeson Samantha January 12, 2024 PGA Awards 2024 Nominations: Maestro, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Past Lives Among Contenders https://www.indiewire.com/awards/results/pga-awards-2024-nominations-1234943176/ January 12, 2024 IndieWire en-US January 12, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240112185857/https://www.indiewire.com/awards/results/pga-awards-2024-nominations-1234943176/ live 2025 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman, Zach Rothfeld, Joe Lewis, Chris Smith, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Bentley Weiner, and Vincent Kardasik Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Michael Darrigade, Vincent Kardasik, Alexandre Lesbats, Laurent Pujol, Karl Sandrock, and Chris Smith (for "Chapter III: Cortes Bank") Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Kevin Senzaki, Eric Di Stefano, Max Holland, Eli Akselrod, and Mika Anami (for "Chapter III: Cortes Bank") Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Keith Hodne (for "Chapter III: Cortes Bank") References External links https://www.hbo.com/100-foot-wave Awards for 100 Foot Wave Category:2021 American television series debuts Category:2021 English-language television series debuts Category:2020s American documentary television series Category:English-language American television shows Category:HBO original programming Category:HBO Sports Category:Documentary television series about sports Category:Television shows set in Portugal Category:Surfing mass media Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series Category:Surfing television series