A keen surfer from the age of eleven, Garrett McNamara entered the prestigious Hawaiian Triple Crown series with six years of experience on his back. He began to gain major sponsors from major Japanese brands as he continued to travel and compete.
With Tow surfing becoming a trend within the community, McNamara became one of the first to become involved in the extreme sport which entails using boats and personal watercraft to find unexpectedly giant waves. The thrill-seeker instantly became hooked on the chase to find the largest waves that he could surf on.
After only a year of participation in Tow, McNamara won the Tow Surfing World Cup alongside his partner in Maui. He went onto to ride a wave that stopped the hearts of spectators as the 20-foot wall of water appeared to have crushed him, amazingly he escaped near-death and emerged to the surprise of everyone, including himself. He continued to push such unprecedented boundaries by seeking a tsunami formed by a calving glacier in Alaska.
In 2016, the danger of the sport became very real to Garrett as he fell off his board and was swallowed by a 50-foot wave in California. Left with a dislocated shoulder and a broken upper arm, he was rescued, pulled to safety and submitted to a hospital where he received surgery.
Now venturing into extreme Stand Up Paddle, Garrett was invited to compete in the World Stand Up Paddle Surfing Championships where only 32 elite surfers were invited to attend by the International Surfing Association.
An eight-time world record holder, McNamara has surfed on waves as high as 100-foot. He is also the only foreigner to receive the Vasco de Gama Medal of Honor from the Portuguese Navy for his contribution to Portugal. An inspiration to those who love danger and ocean sports, Garrett is also an ideal motivational speaker to encourage pushing the boundaries to reach your goals.
