Page 343 - French Polynesia

amilton is regarded by surfing histori- is comment of riding Teahupo, “I do fame; but a man that trained his entire life to
not wanna not live because of my master his skills and surf what was consid-
H ans as the “all time best of the best” at ered “the impossible”.
Hbig wave surfing, regularly surfing swells of
35 feet (11 m) tall, and moving at speeds in fear of what could happen. It softens some
excess of 30 miles (48 km) an hour and suc- Lhard corners in my life I would say and I felt
cessfully riding other waves of up to 70 feet aird was not a follower that walked in
honored to be awarded with something so other persons footsteps but an unpar-

(21 m) high, at up to 50 mph (80 km/h). Ham- magnificent that it just made me appreci- alled innovator, perfectionist, consistently

ilton prefers tow-in surfing the giant waves ate what I have been able to have, experi- out in front of the curve and setting the

of Peahi reef (known as the Jaws surf break) ence, do” makes one understand he is truly standard for intellegence and professional-

on the north central shore of the Island of remarkable man. ism in surfing. Laird flat out is a pioneer that

Maui. Despite being one of the best known W atching film of Laird riding the mon- set the standard for perfection to be judged
surfers since the time of Duke Kahanamoku, ster swells of Hawaii and attacking by.
the matured Hamilton avoids self-promo- the waves; jumping with his board over the
tion. He serves as an ambassador of surfing rough and the magnificent cuts he makes T hank you Laird for allowing the world
and watersports and occasional lifeguard to to share in your life and journey. Laird

other tow-in surfers. provides a sense that he controls the wave Hamilton decided to live life “his way and

and the wave does not control him. His ul- on his terms” which is why he will be re-

L aird Hamilton has a presence and sense timate command provides a sense that he membered as the pioneer of big wave surf-
about him. His ability to discuss in intel- is in full control of what he is doing and ing and one of the greatest surfers to ever
provides an unmatched viewing experience live. We highly recommend everyone watch

ligent and thoughtful words his experiences that conjures the child’s imagination again the movie “Riding Giants” to experience the

separates him from other well-known surf- in all of us. Viewing his remarkable rides on power of big surf and see Laird exercise total

ers. His ability to conjure the imagination of the big surf of Hawaii can only be described control over Mother Nature.

the listener of what he feels and thinks when as “mesmerizing”. You get an immediate

riding the deft defying monsters is remark- sense that what he does and how he does it

able. is not a dare devil seeking his 15 seconds of