Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave? All About The Professional Surfer In The HBO Series

Sunny Anderson
Apr 16, 2023
Apr 16, 2023

Garrett "GMAC" McNamara, born on August 10, 1967, is a professional big wave surfer renowned for setting the record of the biggest wave surfed in history, as featured in the HBO documentary 100 Foot Wave. Additionally, he is the first person to ever ride a wave created by the collapse of a glacier and is also well-known for his successful ride of a gigantic barrel at Jaws.

#1. Garrett Mcnamara hometown

Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave Source: USA Today

McNamara was born on August 10, 1967 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and spent his early years in Berkeley, California. His family background is Irish. He and his brother Liam were known as brave, disregarding pain while playing in their childhood, a quality that would be useful while surfing later on in life.
During his early childhood, his mother took the family to Central America, where she was a victim of domestic abuse and occasionally abandoned him and his brother; at one point, a Guatemalan farmer sought to adopt him, but his mother returned and brought the family back to America.

#2. Garrett Mcnamara early life

Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave Source: The Direct

He then returned to Berkeley, where his mother left him with his birth father; McNamara lived with him for several years until his mother returned with a new domestic partner, who moved the family to the North Shore of Hawaii in 1978. At eleven years old, McNamara followed his younger brother's footsteps and began surfing at Sunset, Waimea and the outer reefs in search of giant swells. He entered and placed in the prestigious Triple Crown of Surfing series at age seventeen and began to gain sponsors. For the next ten years, both brothers joined the competition circuit. For several years, his brother Liam was more well-known in the surfing community.
Tow surfing caught on among the surfing community in the early 1990s and McNamara was one of the first to join the movement. Boats and personal water craft enabled surfers to chase down and catch giant waves that were thought impossible, beyond the bounds of surfers paddling with their bare hands. McNamara welcomed and craved the challenge to find the biggest waves in the world, which became his dream and mission in life.
Also: 100 Foot Wave' Season 2 Preview: Release Date, Cast, Plot and More

#3. Garrett Mcnamara’s career

Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave Source: Page Six

After a year of preparation, McNamara and his tow-in partner Rodrigo Resende were granted a $70,000 prize for their victory at the Tow Surfing World Cup in Maui at Jaws in 2002. That same year he graced the covers of several surf magazines worldwide when a photographer captured a spectacular barrel shot of him off the coast of Teahupo'o in Tahiti. In 2003, he achieved one of his most famous rides. At Jaws, he went for a sizeable 20-foot (6.1 m) barrel and people thought he had been crushed by the wave's lip. Miraculously, he was able to come out unscathed after the wave spit him out and left everyone, including himself, in shock.
The boundaries of big-wave surfing were pushed once again in the summer of 2007 by McNamara and partner Keali’i Mamala, seeking tsunami formed by 300-foot (91 m) calving glaciers in South-Central Alaska. A feature film was made documenting their experience.
In January 2016, McNamara suffered a severe wipeout on a 50-foot wave at Mavericks in California that caused him to skip off the water three times before being swallowed by the monster-size wave. Rescuers on jet skis eventually pulled McNamara to safety, and he suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken upper arm that required surgery. Video of McNamara's wipeout went viral, and local surfers have said it was one of the worst wipeouts caught on video.[6]

#4. Garrett Mcnamara’s world record

Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave Source: IMDb

In November 2011, Garrett McNamara set a Guinness World Record for surfing a 78-foot wave off the shore of Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal. This wave was formed by the Nazaré Canyon and McNamara was towed into it on a 6’0 Dick Brewer Tow Board. The record was more than one foot higher than the previous world record, though an early announcement of the achievement was met with some controversy. In January 2013, McNamara proceeded to break his own record by riding an estimated 100-foot (30 m) wave off the same coast.

#5. Garrett Mcnamara’s personal life

Who Is Garrett Mcnamara On 100 Foot Wave Source: Variety

McNamara is married to Nicole McNamara (née Macias), an environmental sciences teacher. When they first met, both were married to other people. The couple wed at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal, in November 2012. They have three children, Barrel (2015), Theia Love Nazaré Celeste Rose (2018) and Fe do Mar Strawberry Lucy (2021). He has three children from his previous marriage to Konnie Pascual McN
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