Product Description

Teahupoo, Tahiti. On the 17th of August, 2000, a line was drawn in the sand and Laird Hamilton stood alone. Engulfed in the vortex of the heaviest wave ever ridden, Laird Hamilton stood where no man had ever stood before. Death was the only outcome if a mistake was made. The footage shocked the world. Had it not been captured on film, no one would believe it was possible. It was a moment shadowed only by the journey of his life as a waterman and explorer of the most pure form of energy on earth. This amazing film, shoot on both High Definition and 35mm, won numerous awards at the 2002 X-dance Film Festival. This is the extreme movie of the year, quite possibly the decade. Music By Ben Harper, Moby and Bender!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48031 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-06-04
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.com
He stands 6-foot-5, with long golden hair--and he still looks minuscule when photographed against the backdrop of the mammoth waves in this outstanding surfing documentary. Laird Hamilton travels to Hawaii and Tahiti in search of the biggest waves anyone has ever tried to ride. Skimming across the side of a wall of water, he's harnessing both gravity and the power of the wave in a death-defying balancing act. There is something almost therapeutic about watching the endless slow-motion images of Hamilton riding one wave after another, meticulously photographed to capture both the pounding force of the water and Hamilton's daring ability to tame it. The footage is set to a contemporary score, featuring musical acts as diverse as Moby, Ben Harper, and Bender as the backdrop for Hamilton's startling feats. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Laird Hamilton Defines Psychotic!!
Having been a surfer all my life and having surfed the North Shore of O'ahu, I've known about Laird Hamilton for the last 15 years. He's been doing "Tow-in" surfing for close to 10 years now. I come from a family of surfers and they freak out every time they see this DVD.

This is the ULTIMATE surfing video, as well as one of the top 20 Extreme Sports video. What Laird and his colleagues are doing are beyond INSANE! These are the biggest waves ever surfed in history. These waves are HUGE!! The waves that I surfed on the North Shore are Lake Tahoe shorebreak compared to what Laird is surfing in this video, and he totally tears these waves apart! He'll catch major air riding down the face of the wave, getting completely barreled and pull out of it, and exiting the wave, he'll fly out about 10-15 feet flipping in the air. It's totally insane. He and his colleagues are doing things and experiencing what NO ONE else in the world are doing, not Bill Gates, not the President, not Michael Jordan, not Shaq O'Neal, not Lennox Lewis, not ANYONE.

One of the surfers in the DVD hails Laird as the "Best Surfer in the World". That's all relative. Maybe he doesn't have the small wave and competitive skills of a Kelly Slater or a Tom Curren, but when it comes to tow-in surfing in Hawaii or Tahiti, then yes, he is the best surfer in the world. He is definitely the best at what he does and is the ultimate ocean athlete.

People have absolutely no idea how treacherous these waves are. They are HORRENDOUS! They can hold you under water for more than 1-2 minutes if you wipe out on one of them. People die on waves an eighth of this size. Laird is the ULTIMATE water athlete! He defines HUGE! He defines psychotic!

Great flick.
Really enjoyed this vid. There is some really insane footage from Jaws. Definitely got to see some of what Laird is really capable of. Was also nice to get some more history and information about Jaws itself. They do kind of go a bit overboard in talking up Laird like he's superman. No question the guy is a killer surfer doing some amazing things, but he doesn't need to be worshiped. I'd grab this one up if for nothing other than the footage of Laird's wave in Tahiti.

Amazing
Whether you surf or not, you cannot help but to be awed by the surfing skills of Laird Hamilton. I recently popped this DVD into the player when a family cookout got rained out; initially there were cries of dissent, but after the first 20 minutes or so, the room was met with a hushed awe. Everyone there (and of all ages) enjoyed the film immensely; it's a real keeper and guaranteed to please.