:24:01
Everything is moving.
Nothing is constant.
:24:03
It's so dynamic
that you can't pre-plan it.
:24:06
Not only are you riding this mountain,
it's chasing you...
:24:09
...and you have to use
your skill and ability...
:24:12
...to get away from this mountain...
:24:16
...but at the same time,
use it to your benefit.
:24:18
When you come down the face
of a mountain, you're on fire.
:24:21
Your heart is exploding, endorphins
are busting out in your brain...
:24:27
...and you want to not just prove
that you can do it...
:24:31
...but discover
what you're made out of.
:24:37
Apart from the challenge
of learning to ride Waimea...
:24:40
... was the even greater challenge
of surviving the horrifying wipeouts.
:24:45
You feel like a piece of lint
in a washing machine...
:24:48
...because the force of nature
you're in...
:24:51
...is so quantum
beyond comprehension.
:24:55
I can remember
fracturing my neck at Waimea.
:25:01
I went over the falls. I hit the water
and my neck went back...
:25:04
...in a whiplash
and fractured my neck.
:25:07
Lost all feelings
in my arms and legs.
:25:09
I was like a seagull full of oil...
:25:12
...just fluttering in the white water,
out of control.
:25:22
And some guys came over
and helped me in.
:25:24
I'm lucky to be alive. And I think
every single big-wave surfer...
:25:28
...could tell you a story like that.
:25:34
We didn't have flotation devices,
we didn't have leashes...
:25:38
...we didn't have helicopters
waiting to scoop you out...
:25:41
...so if you fucked up,
you were on your own.
:25:59
By 1959, Waimea had become
the epicenter of big-wave surfing...