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.
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
Season 1 (2021)
Season 2 (2023)
Season 3 (2025)
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. In February 2021, it was announced that a 6-episode documentary series would be produced by Topic Studios and distributed by HBO.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Documentary – (Non-Theatrical) Connor Culhane, Adrienne Gits, Abhay Sofsky, and Brandon Valentin Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Broadcast Cinematography Chris Smith, Jerry Ricciotti, Mike Prickett, and Laurent Pujol 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 Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Mike Prickett and Laurent Pujol Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Sports Program 100 Foot Wave 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 Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Alex Bayer, Alex Keipper, and Quin O'Brien Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Max Holland, Eric Di Stefano, and Kevin Senzaki Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Keith Hodne Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program Zach Rothfeld American Cinema Editors Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) Alex Bayer, Alex Keipper, and Quin O'Brien Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music/Series or Specials Keith Hodne 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 Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Sports Program 100 Foot Wave 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 Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Kevin Senzaki, Eric Di Stefano, Max Holland, Eli Akselrod, and Mika Anami Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Keith Hodne
References
External links