We all come from the sea,
but we are not all of the sea.
Those of us who are,
we children of the tides,
must return to it
again and again.
Four a thousand.
Five a thousand.
Six a thousand.
Seven a thousand.
Eight a thousand.
Nine a thousand.
One a thousand.
Two a thousand.
Three a thousand.
Four a thousand.
Five a thousand.
Six a thousand.
Seven a thousand.
Eight a thousand.
The ball! Go over there!
Pick it up, pick it up,
pick it up.
- Ten a thousand.
- Come on!
Eleven a thousand.
Come on, Jay, let's go!
We're gonna get wet.
Man, did you see that?
It's building!
That was the longest one yet.
One a thousand.
Two a thousand.
Oh.
Three a thousand.
Four a thousand.
Five...
Sophie, no!
Jay, no! Look out!
Jay!
Oh, yeah, you're
smiling now, big shot.
But if I hadn't
paddled around the Point
at that exact moment...
It's a miracle,
that's what it is.
And I don't believe in miracles.
How old are you?
What, six, seven?
Eight.
And three quarters, sir.
Well, you just used up your
entire allotment of dumb luck.
Here's a novel idea.
On your next little date,
why don't you go to the arcade?
Or pee-wee golfing.
Or something that doesn't
involve getting you killed.
Because he likes to time
the waves.
- Shh.
- What? You do.
What do you mean,
time the waves?
Um, to see if the swell
is building or dropping.
The more seconds between them
each wave in a set,
it means it's getting bigger.
Who taught you that?
Nobody, sir.
Just figured it out.
You just figured that out
on your own?
Okay.
Thanks. Bye.
- Bye. Okay.
- Bye.
Go straight inside, all right?
Close the door.
What now?
How big you reckon
that wave was, sir?
It's a small world, kid,
but how they gauge the size
of waves, well, that differs
from place to place,
so, hard to say.
So it might be bigger
somewhere else?
Look, it was definitely
big enough, okay?
Like I said, kid, small world.
I appreciate you
saving Sophie, Jay.
One of the bravest things
I've ever seen.
Mom?
Mom?
Hi, baby.
Unh. Sorry,
Mama's not feeling so good.
Don't worry,
Dad will change his mind.
There are hot dogs
in the fridge.
Hey.
Hey.
Need a hand?
Hey. What with,
the coffee or the cupboard?
Uh, you just missed
Roque again.
Just put her down.
Ahem. Yeah.
I had to help
a friend out after work.
Mm-hm.
I'll go in,
I'll give her a kiss.
Kiss would be nice.
Conversation every once
in a while, maybe nicer.
Time to wake up, Jay.
Okay.
How do I look?
You look awesome.
I have an interview at Sears.
So, I'm coming home at 12:00
and we are going
to get school supplies.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Excuse me. Ma'am?
Hi.
Your husband home?
Uh, well,
depends on who's asking.
I'm Jay Moriarty, ma'am.
He saved my life
down at Three Mile yesterday.
Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry,
I think you're mistaken
because Frosty was up in Scott's
Valley laying roof yesterday.
No, ma'am. He was surfing
the exact same time
I used up my allotment
of dumb luck.
Is that so?
Frosty is actually
down at The Point right now
but is there anything that I can
help you with, Jay Moriarty?
Well, I seem to be missing parts
on the bottom of my board.
Okay.
Fins, fins, fins.
- Where does he keep them? Oh.
- Wow.
They call that thing a gun.
It's for riding
the really big monsters.
Like that.
Where is that?
You should ask Frosty yourself.
Thanks.
Beat it, little trash.
Blondie, what are you doing?
Hey, man, you got to go in.
You're bleeding.
I can't.
Not until I get up.
Dude, believe me, nobody
gets up their first time.
Okay, okay.
I'm only doing this
because you're gonna start
attracting sharks
with all that blood.
When I say "now,"
you paddle as hard as you can
towards shore, you got it?
Now?
No.
Now?
No.
Now?
Yeah! Paddle, paddle, paddle.
Hey, paddle.
Paddle, paddle, paddle! Now!
Go, go, go!
Yeah!
You stealing a page out
of my playbook there?
Couldn't help myself, Blondie.
It's always been a keeper.
Hey, little trash.
Got a question for you.
Yeah.
What exactly are you
trying to compensate for
with this long board
of yours? Huh?
I was about to ask you
the same thing about that bat.
Y'all come back now, you hear?
Come on, let's go!
Okay, okay, we're coming.
Sometime today, please.
Hey, Kim.
Hi! How was it out there?
Good. Feels like
the swell is building.
Yeah? Did you time it?
Kimmy, come on, we got to go.
Um, all right, well,
maybe I'll see you out there.
Later. Whoo!
Let her be, dude.
She's too old for you.
Get out!
Get out of my house! Aah!
- Get down!
- Mom!
And you stay down there!
I'm tired of this!
- Get off me! Okay?
- Mom!
I'm not going anywhere!
Jay.
Easy, kid.
This is about back rent!
She tried grabbing me!
All I did...
He owes us money!
Get off me! Unh!
No!
Take it easy, kid!
Jay! No!
Jay! Jay, stop, stop! Jay!
Cops! Cops!
Just let him go! Come on!
Hey, hey! Break it up!
Break it up!
Get off me!
This is Victor-1-2.
We're on the scene.
Offshore
buoys are reporting seas
of 25 feet at 16 seconds.
Coming from the west
northwest at 295 degrees.
Northwest winds are forecasted
at 15 to 20 knots.
Swells are expected
to reach up to 28 feet
at 17 seconds near shore.
Morning, Frank.
Careful out there, son.
Hey, buddy.
What's up?
Next level out
there today, boys.
Twenty-five at 16.
Let's rock and roll.
Right.
Let's do it.
Yeah, Frosty!
Now, we'll agree to
forget how you got up here,
but as far as most
are concerned,
that wave's a myth.
Like the Loch Ness monster.
The four of us who surf there
want to keep it that way.
Is that clear?
Buoys reporting
swells of 28 feet
at 17 seconds coming from...
How big was that wave?
Did you hear what I just said?
Yes, sir.
Loch Ness monster.
How's it going over there?
Mom's not renting out
the back anymore.
Means I get my own room.
But I got to double-up
my shifts at Pleasure Pizza.
And your father?
He wrote me a letter
a few years back
from his base in Panama.
So what'd he say?
I don't know.
Never opened it.
All right, well,
I got to get out of here.
Got to get to work.
Hey, sir, I want
to ride that wave.
I want to take that drop.
Not gonna happen.
Why not?
Because untrained boys
don't step in the ring
with Mike Tyson, that's why.
I can handle it.
You don't just do it.
Buddy, I've been surfing
that break for 20 years.
You have any idea how much
strength and know-how you need
to survive a break like that?
Frosty, I'm getting
stronger by the day.
I'll hold my own.
Stronger by the day, huh?
Yeah.
Okay, give me your hand.
Now resist me.
Okay, that all you got?
Is that it? Is that it?
Ow. Ow, ow, ow.
Okay.
You ain't strong enough.
Right now, I'm surfing every
single day, right? So, if I...
Shut up, all right?
Now, I know how good you are.
I've seen you out there.
You surf circles around
those other kids.
But those are normal waves.
Surfing normal waves
is about how you perform
when everything goes right.
Now, big wave surfing,
that's a different ball game.
That's about how you perform
when everything goes wrong.
One bump off the face
of that wave,
and you're hitting the water
like concrete
at 50 miles an hour.
And you got a thousand tons
of water
coming down on top of you.
It's knocking you senseless,
ripping you apart
and pushing you down to a place
that is so deep and so dark,
you don't want to be there.
So why do it?
Hey. Come on, get out of here.
I got work to do.
Train me, then.
Train me to ride it.
Did you hear what I said?
Go on, get.
You don't get it, do you?
What?
There are all kinds of sons,
Frosty, you know?
Some are born to you
and some just occur to you.
Jay's looked up to you
his entire life.
I mean, can't you see
how much he needs you?
You want me to teach
him to surf that wave?
He's a kid.
You made me promise
I wouldn't even surf that...
Yeah,
and you break that promise
every chance you get.
You think I don't know
where you were this morning?
I heard the message
on the machine.
"25 at 16"? Come on.
I don't know where
you're going with this.
That boy's gonna surf that wave
anyway. You know that, right?
Even if he dies trying.
I mean, wouldn't you?
Okay, two Hawaiians,
two Santa Barbara,
one pepperoni and one cheese.
All right.
Thank you.
Dude. Dude.
It goes, first sauce,
then cheese, then toppings.
It's not rocket science.
You all right? You haven't been
here since you got here, man.
You ever see something
and you think,
like, it's the reason
you were put here?
I mean, like, on this earth?
Sure, man.
Every time I turn on Baywatch.
Right, keep it moving.
Pleasure Pizza. Okay.
Hey, Blond, I'll be right back.
Hold on, hold on. Hey, dude,
where are you going now?
- I'll be right back.
- You're killing me here!
Hi, sir.
Okay, here's the deal.
I'm gonna train you
for one thing
and for one thing only:
To survive that wave.
All right?
You want to know why?
Because I don't want it
on my conscience.
That's it.
No questions, no arguing,
end of story.
I teach you what you need
to know, and it's over.
You got it?
Got it.
Now, the reason
no one knows about this wave
is because it only happens
on big northwest swells.
And the window for those swells
closes in 12 weeks.
So you got 12 weeks.
Meet me in my shed
tomorrow morning, 6:30 a.m.
Not 6:31 or 6:32.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Hey. Ooh.
Don't bother with that.
We're not surfing.
Paddleboards.
All right. Unh.
A few things we need to
establish before we begin.
The first,
thou shalt not ding
Frosty's board
or damage thy neighbor's car.
Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.
Second,
this little, uh, program
is all about building
what I like to call
the four pillars of a solid
human foundation. Understand?
Yes, sir.
How could you? I haven't even
told you what they are.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
The four pillars
of the human foundation
are the physical, the mental,
the emotional
and the spiritual.
Though I admit
to being a little bit wobbly
in that department.
I'm not sure I understand, sir.
You know what a thesis is?
Uh, an idea.
Exactly. An idea which attempts
to explain something.
Lays it out to be
proved or disproved.
So here's our thesis:
It's 36 miles across the bay
from Santa Cruz to Monterey.
The day that you can
paddle that far
will be the day
you're ready to surf Mavericks.
Not a moment sooner.
Frosty, that's impossible.
Oh, more so than you know.
So the physical will represent
the sheer strength
needed to make the paddle.
So you're gonna be doing this
from now on, every day,
And the mental will be tied
to your own research.
The calculation
of the tides and swells,
and, of course, your ability
to navigate them all.
So, Monterey equals Mavericks.
Deal?
Deal.
Good. All I need
is for your mom
to sign me a permission slip
accepting responsibility
for anything that's
gonna happen along the way.
Whoa. Frosty.
Hey, Frosty, what if
she doesn't sign it?
Deep breaths, steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
Hey, Sophie.
What's up, girl?
Come here, Sophie.
Shh.
Sophie. What are you...?
What are you doing here?
My parents are asleep.
Can you sign me
a permission slip
with my mom's signature on it?
My handwriting blows.
Hey. A permission slip?
For what?
Okay, I haven't told this
to anyone
so you have to promise
to keep it a secret.
Okay, promise.
It's Mavericks.
I mean, it's real.
Maybe the biggest wave
in the world.
I've seen it with my own eyes,
it's right up the coast.
Frosty's gonna train me
to surf it.
Mavericks?
No one believes that.
I swear, it's like nothing
you've ever seen before.
And if I ask my mom
for permission,
it'll just give her an excuse
to act like my mom for once
and she'll probably say no.
You look great.
Thanks.
I would've asked you at school,
but I know you don't like
being seen in public
with younger men, so...
Hey, Blondie.
All right, fellas.
Come on, race you to the pool.
Ow!
Yeah! Sick!
Get some!
Whoo! Yeah!
Aah!
Yeah, man, get up.
Yeah.
Hey. Hollybra's having a party
tonight. You clowns going?
Yeah, sounds good to me.
Jay?
No, I got school and stuff.
Dude.
We all got school, dude.
That's no excuse.
Heard that. Haven't been
to class all week.
Yeah.
The dude actually wonders why
he's a second-year sophomore!
So, what kind of stuff
you got going?
Just trying to make sense
of everything.
We're in high school, dude.
Hey, Frosty.
Hey.
It's 20 to 4.
You told me to be here at 4.
Exactly.
So, we ready to go?
Does it look like it?
Tell you what, we'll be ready
when you clean up
that driveway.
That's what you get for
being 20 minutes early.
Deep breaths.
You got to stretch
out those lungs.
A wave like Mavericks will hold
you down for minutes at a time
while it pounds you to a pulp.
If you can't hold your breath
for at least four minutes
under normal circumstances,
then you may as well
not even paddle out.
How long was that?
You know what, I'm not even
gonna acknowledge
that just happened.
Hey.
Where'd you find that?
In the dresser that you
moved into the baby's room.
Hm.
God, you're so beautiful.
Mm.
Look, um, I know that surfing
is your passion and your life,
your escape.
I get it.
But I need you to
make me a promise.
And I'm serious this time.
That you're not gonna put
the rush of a 30-foot drop
in front of the future
of your two children.
I promise.
God, you're a good man.
Okay.
Jay's waiting for you.
Mom!
Mom, you got to get up
right now!
You got a 6:00 shift!
You're gonna lose
your job again! Mom!
Oh, no.
Mom, get up! Come on!
I'm getting up!
Hey.
You're 11 minutes late.
Yeah, sorry, Frosty.
You know, my mom...
She had to write
my permission slip, so...
Your mother's got
nice handwriting.
She take much convincing?
No.
Not much.
Good.
That your breakfast?
Hm? Yeah.
You want to be an athlete,
you got to eat like one.
Take this.
Go on, take it.
You're gonna need it
more than me.
Thanks.
Winds out
of the south, southeast
at 15 knots,
gusting to 20 knots.
That's the Weather Radio, huh?
You use it to follow big surf?
Kind of like you
timing the waves.
Only this thing's
a little more accurate.
There's no way
to paddle out there,
especially with long boards.
Oh, there's a way, all right.
So let's see if you're
worth your salt, chief.
Okay, back to baking.
Let's go.
So you made it all of 30 yards.
If you want to get out there,
you got to make it
through more than half
a mile of this
just to get in position
of Mavericks.
So you've got to conserve
all the energy you've got.
All right.
Now let's take a look
at what you missed.
Now, for some reason,
you decided
to paddle straight out
into that mess.
Now, take a look
at the rocks over there.
See what's happening
with the current?
It's got nowhere to go.
Nowhere to go but where?
Back out?
Exactly, back out.
To a waterman,
it's a conveyor belt.
Watch this.
So today's lesson
was about the power
of observation.
Simple fact
is you got two choices.
You can fight things head-on
or you can observe
the laws of nature.
Because if you
look hard enough,
there's always
a way through it.
Make sense?
Yes, sir.
Good man.
Because you're going to
write me an essay about it.
Three pages,
typewritten, single-space.
Devil's in the details
of whatever you observe.
Time to start building
your mental pillar, chief.
Hey, Kimmy.
Oh, my gosh!
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
What are you doing?
Uh, I just
got off work. You?
Oh, um, I was just trying
to go for a swim,
but I guess they close
early on Sundays.
You want to go swimming
at night,
you got to use
the back entrance.
Hey, this isn't so bad.
Okay, so how do we get down?
There's only one way I know of.
What? No. Are you serious?
No. Jay!
Hey.
I saw your bike.
You didn't tell me.
So she know the rules?
No.
Clear it. Clear it.
Excuse me.
It's kind of like
figure skating.
Points based on a combination
of style,
execution and difficulty.
For example, I'm going to start
with a standing one and a half.
High, I repeat,
high level of difficulty.
Because I got to clear
the pool deck.
Hit that,
you're immediately DQ'd.
No. Wait, wait, wait.
You guys aren't serious.
Really? No!
Oh...
Oh!
And the judges say...
- Oh, my gosh.
- Nice one, Blondie.
The only thing that can top
that is a reverse back tuck.
Because of the blind entry.
No! I can't watch this.
You have to.
You're the only judge.
No, Jay!
Whoo!
Look at this! Yeah!
And the judge turned competitor
ties it with Moriarty.
- No.
- No, no, no!
To see who the real
champion will be
we're down
to a final sprint. Whoo!
Ooh!
Hey, you cheater!
Ooh.
You are disqualified.
Why?
Because you pulled my ankle!
I would have won that!
Whatever.
Forty.
What are you doing?
Four pillars
of a solid human foundation.
Fifty.
Mm-hm.
I made coffee,
your clothes are in the dryer.
I'm swallowing water.
Well, you better grow gills.
You got two more minutes.
Yo, dude!
Three pages.
Congratulations.
You eaten?
It's good.
Oh. Thank you.
You're welcome.
Is this some sort of a joke?
No, sir.
So I ask you to write an essay,
and you observe a girl.
You never told me
what to observe.
Oh, come on, Jay.
Really?
I'm training you
to survive Mavericks,
not some, uh, silly teen crush.
Roque, go to bed.
Good night, Daddy.
I just thought...
What did you think?
What did you think, Jay?
Nothing.
If you didn't think,
you're wasting my time.
Frosty.
Okay? And that's not something
I got a lot of these days.
You know what?
It's not your fault.
You're 15.
You're just a kid.
Jay, um, will you
excuse us for a moment?
For heaven's sake, Frosty,
not everyone sees the world
through your eyes.
Okay? He chose
to examine something
that meant the world to him.
Something personal,
which he opened up
and shared with you,
entrusted to you.
Brenda, I'm not concerned
with his feelings.
I'm concerned
with the objective.
The point of writing an essay
is to put your thoughts
down on paper
and see the gaps and reflect.
And did he accomplish that
or not?
I don't know. I...
My old man, he didn't even...
Shh, shh, shh.
It just takes patience.
You owe yourself that much.
Okay?
Okay.
I don't hear Lake.
Hey.
He just needed to be held,
I think.
Don't we all sometimes?
All right, chief, sit down.
From now on, let's stick
to the subject at hand.
First off, I want you
to rewrite this essay,
but you can observe
an actual break.
As in surf break.
Mr. Lopez.
Here.
- Miss Mirkin.
- Here.
Mr. Moriarty.
Mr. Moriarty.
Mavericks. November
Swell westerly,
approximately 12 feet
at 16-second intervals,
25- to 30-foot faces.
One of Frosty's crew
heading out solo.
Looking like the best way out
is to ride the current
inside the rocks.
Wind remains side-shore,
maybe 10 knots.
Set suddenly shifting
with no warning.
Large and northerly,
at least double the size.
Come on, come on.
Hey, man.
Hey, Brenda.
How's it going?
It's good.
Yeah? I'm curious to hear
how it is from the one
on the other end of the whip.
You know, just
keeping me on my toes.
Not being too hard
on you, is he?
No. No, I feel like it's
the other way around, maybe.
How so?
Sometimes, when you've been
through a lot in life,
you know, sometimes
you're hard on yourself.
That's the way it is with
my mom, at least, you know?
You sure you're only
in high school?
Yeah.
Bye.
See you.
See you guys. Take it easy.
Looks like your girlfriend's
keeping tabs on you.
- Ha, ha.
- Yo, who's that?
Oh, he's cool.
All right, later.
What's this?
You my keeper
all of a sudden? Hey.
You having this
conversation with me
or your conscience, Blond?
I just wanted to tell you,
it's your turn to lock up.
Jay?
Aah! Oh, my God.
Almost two full minutes.
Jay, can I talk to you?
Uh, hold on.
Come in.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey, your uniform's, um...
It's in the dryer.
Oh. Thank you. Thanks.
Okay.
Um, listen, I was wondering
if I could borrow $15.
I got a parking ticket,
and, you know, if you
don't pay them, it's...
Yeah.
I'm gonna pay you back.
I promise.
Thanks.
Hey. You heading out, Blond?
Like you care.
Sonny!
Outside!
Oh-oh-oh.
Boy can get it done.
If that's what you call
snaking someone's wave, man,
Guess we can't all be
as perfect as you, can we, Jay?
Blond, you're better than that.
All right?
Let's go get some.
Whoo! Yeah!
Hey.
You're back early.
What you doing?
You know, it's, uh...
He wanted to surprise you.
Well, he succeeded.
Carry on.
You're the worst!
You're the worst!
Hey, did you see
that big outside set?
It was firing today!
Careful, man. He's wasted.
Uh, yeah, let me get a, um...
A hot dog, extra chili.
Ahem. No, check that.
Make it a jelly donut.
All we got is pizza, bro.
Hey, little trash,
why are you always smiling
all the time, huh?
Oh, there you go again.
You see, when you smile,
you look like a little wuss.
When you look
like a little wuss,
you don't get no respect.
Sure got it today.
Hey! Hey! Hey, get off!
Come on! Get off me, man!
You throw a punch,
you better pray
I don't make it back up,
you little punk.
Yeah, you think you're better
than the rest of us, don't you?
I see you paddling out there
every morning with Frosty.
Come on, man,
let's get out of here.
Paddle, paddle, paddle,
little grom.
Let's go, bro.
Let's get out of here.
Looks like you
dropped something.
I read your essay.
What do you think?
I think that's what I expected
from you all along.
You done good, chief.
And now the lion sleeps.
The wave's gonna break
behind us
where the reef falls
from about 40 feet
to about 1500 feet.
Here's what you want to avoid:
Firstly, see those rocks
over there?
They call that the Boneyard.
Whatever you do, do not let
the current push you in there.
It'll smash you to pieces.
So where do you set?
What you got to do
is triangulate.
You draw a line
between yourself and that dish
and that mushroom rock
over there.
The biggest treachery of all
is what lies underneath.
Most waves break on reefs
less than 20 feet
beneath the surface.
Depth is doubled out here.
Meaning, when it's firing,
you got twice the water mass,
twice the wave energy,
and twice the likelihood
of drowning.
Don't worry.
I got your back, kid.
What happened?
What do you mean?
I just saw a 15-foot shark.
I'm sure it scared
the piss out of you,
but that wasn't what I asked.
Why'd you panic?
Just fear, I guess.
All right, well,
one thing you got to know,
fear and panic
are two separate emotions.
Fear is healthy,
panic is deadly.
Because when this place
is firing
and I'm talking
about 30-, 40-foot waves,
it's all about fear.
But you panic out there,
like you just did,
you die.
Well,
if you're scared to death,
how do you not panic?
By identifying the fear
and what it is
you're afraid of.
Not just out there,
but in life.
Welcome to your next essay.
All right, guys, listen up.
Uh, homework assignment, okay?
Put your pencils down.
Don't write until I'm done.
Gotta listen first, okay?
Here we go.
Name the four
sophila of arthropods.
Which sophila is thought
to be the eldest?
Which sophila is thought
to be the eldest? Number one.
Number two: Compare complete
and incomplete metamor...
There he goes again.
Hey.
Hey.
I was hoping I'd see you here.
Um, we're doing a bonfire
down at the cove.
You want to stop by after work?
Oh, thanks, you know,
but I got to...
Where's the action?
I want to party!
You know, come on.
I got a better idea.
Yeah, okay, that's $14.56.
Dude, no. What?
I'll owe you forever, Blond.
- What's up?
- I promise.
Oh, hey.
Dude, you dropped your, uh...
Hey.
You're home.
Yeah, I finished up early,
so I thought I'd get back.
Is Roque in her room?
Yeah,
she's getting ready for bed.
What's in the bag?
Oh.
My old man used to read
to me as a kid,
and I thought,
you know, maybe...
Maybe I would start reading
to Roque.
Okay.
Roque?
Hi, Daddy.
Hey, I take it this isn't
your first time here.
It's my first time
with anyone else.
Look, you see that?
That's the seventh brightest
star in the sky, Rigel.
Right above it, on either side,
that's Betelgeuse
and Bellatrix.
It's the shoulders of Orion.
What?
Ha, ha.
How'd you know that?
I learned it from my dad.
He started teaching me
about the stars
when I was maybe, like, 3 or 4.
There are 88 constellations,
but I never got a chance
to learn them all.
Come on.
Follow me.
Whoa!
Paddle, paddle, paddle!
Come on, Kimmy!
Yeah!
Kimmy, give me your hand.
Get over here.
Kimmy, come on. Come on.
- Ow!
- No!
Frost, I saw you were counting
on your fingers when we were
diving at Mavericks.
The longer you're down
there, the more your mind unspools.
You mark each minute
with a finger.
Run out of fingers
and you know you're in trouble.
Feel the water getting colder?
Yeah.
Because of what lies
beneath us.
It's the Monterey Trench,
Current drops in here,
heads east until it hits
the Southern Wall.
Creating what?
It's a back eddy.
You know,
the day you hit that eddy
is the day you'll be
more than halfway there.
Where'd you learn
all that stuff anyway?
From you.
I mean, from books and maps.
You told me to study
the currents and the tides.
Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?
Used to come out here
and just paddle out
to the deepest part.
Used to bob up and down
like a cork just...
Just to feel it.
To feel what?
The abyss.
The tide is
really strong today.
That's because of
tropical hurricanes from Japan.
Making their way
across the Pacific.
Really?
Only happens once
every seven to 10 years.
Last El Nio was '83.
Brought waves into Mavericks
the size
of five-story buildings.
Oh, yeah.
El Nio.
Do you think it'll
happen again this year?
I don't know.
But if it does,
you'd better be ready.
Because that wave of ours
ain't gonna be
a secret anymore.
So, girl I want you to know
Nice.
Thank you, ladies.
All right, I gotta
go get some wood.
No.
I got to keep you ladies warm.
Why don't you go help Daddy?
Bye.
Oh, no. You're leaving.
Yeah, swing shift calls.
No. Oh, good to see you.
So, wait,
where did you guys meet?
You're looking at it.
Really?
Yeah. This is where we
went on our first date.
He asked me out to dinner,
and before I know it,
he's, you know, spearing a fish
and cooking it over a campfire
like a caveman,
and I'm just sitting there
in my white taffeta dress
and my pearls,
you know, wondering
where my cutlery is.
Is all of his family here?
No, we're his only family.
Frosty lost both his folks
when he was young.
He doesn't really
talk about it much.
Kind of carries it
on the inside.
Always has.
Somehow,
it's just made him feel
unfit. Hey.
I don't know. It just...
It breaks my heart.
You take care of that boy,
you hear?
Yeah, I will.
Okay.
I mean, we're just friends,
but I'll take care of him.
- Just friends?
- Hey, hey.
Wow. Nice catch!
Anybody want to kiss a fish?
Not me.
Eh? Yeah.
No! No! Jay, no!
No! Do not get that
near me! No!
No!
Hey.
What's up? Hey. How are you?
- Oh...
- Well, well.
Glad you showed up.
We came to see
the Mavericks man.
What are they doing here?
What are you, like,
Neighborhood Watch?
So, what's the
deal, little trash?
You gonna slay
that dragon by yourself
or is your
rent-a-dad gonna help?
"From a distance,
I watched and realized
"that along with rare beauty
comes constant scrutiny.
Like being the lead
in a school play."
That's poetic, man.
It's a shame she laughs at you
behind your back, though.
But, I mean, you already
knew that, right?
It's kind of obvious since
she won't be seen with you.
Paddle, paddle, paddle,
little grom.
Paddle, paddle, paddle.
I'm not doing it again.
Okay, well, you know the deal.
You want to walk,
that's your choice.
Why are you doing this to me?
Because I want the truth.
I want to know
what you're afraid of.
I don't know.
You don't know?
Or you don't wanna know?
I don't know.
Well, you better ask yourself,
what do you want
to leave behind?
The truth of who you really are
or just some words on a page?
All that stuff that's burning
deep down inside of you,
what is that?
That stuff
you can't even look at
because it scares you so much,
that the same thing
in that letter?
That letter
that you can't open...
Don't.
But you can't even throw away.
Don't do this!
Don't do what?
If you don't even have
the courage
to open that letter,
then how can you
take on that wave?
Stop it! I don't know, okay?
I said I don't know.
Dad, quick, Mommy's sick.
Brenda.
Mommy?
Jay. Call 911.
I'm here, sweetheart.
I'm right here. Hurry.
Mommy. Mommy!
Yeah, yeah, we
have an emergency.
Babe, I'm with you.
I need you
to send an ambulance, please.
Jay, tell them
she's having a stroke.
I think she's having
a stroke. She can't talk.
Just breathe, baby.
I don't know. I don't know.
She fell...
Mommy! Mommy!
She's not moving.
Okay, babe. Baby, I got you.
We're at 311 38th
Street, in Pleasant Point.
Hi.
How could this happen?
Jay, can we talk?
Please?
Are you okay?
No.
I have to go.
Okay.
Go away.
My grandchildren are wondering
where their father is.
No, they're wondering
where their mother is, sir.
Then tell them.
I don't know what to say.
Tell them the truth.
She's at the side of God
in heaven.
Well, I'm not sure
I believe that right now.
Maybe...
Maybe we'll take the kids
for a couple of days.
Yeah.
Those two children
have lost their mother.
Now don't deny them
the comfort of their father.
Now, come inside.
Why did he leave us, Mom?
He didn't leave us.
He left me.
Frosty?
Frost.
Hey, Frosty?
Show Daddy
the soft baby rabbit.
Say, "Hi."
Say, "I love you, Daddy."
Can you show Daddy?
Show Daddy
the soft baby rabbit.
Say, "Hi." Can you say,
"I love you, Daddy."
Frost?
Hi, Daddy. She said, "Da!"
She said "Daddy."
That's good. Should we read
a story to Daddy?
Should we read a story...
Deep breaths.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
Frosty!
Deep breaths.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
Frosty!
Frosty!
The current.
He floated with the current.
Frosty, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
You can't just
walk away from everything!
Why not? Huh? Why not?
She's all I had, Jay.
She's all I ever knew.
All I know, Frost,
is what you told me.
If you look hard enough,
there's always a way
through it.
But what if I don't
have the strength, Jay?
Which pillar do I lean on then?
The fifth one.
Which one is that?
It's me.
Come on.
That's enough of this.
Come on. It's time to go.
Hey, Jay.
You're going the wrong way.
I felt the back eddy, Frost.
That means we're more than
halfway across the bay.
Closer to what's in front of us
than what's behind.
Paddle, Frosty.
Good morning.
Did you forget what day it is?
Oh. And this
is all of the money
that I borrowed from you.
Plus some interest.
Mom, where did you get this?
I was made the shift manager
because I'm so punctual.
All right.
Open your present.
Frosty said that
you might be needing that
to follow the swells.
And he said there is
a very big one coming.
It was hard to figure out what
he was talking about,
but they're calling it El Nio,
which means "the boy."
You know that because
you got a C in Spanish. Hey.
You knew about this
the whole time.
Yeah. Frosty's no dummy,
and my handwriting
is not that good.
Happy birthday.
Yes! Ha!
Nice weather we're having,
eh, ladies?
Hey. How's it going, Bob?
How you holding up?
Yeah, yeah. Good.
This is Jay.
Bob Pearson.
Heard a lot about you, kid.
Thank you, sir.
Follow me.
How's it cooking?
Catching any waves?
No, I'll never surf anymore.
I'm making too many boards
for all you guys.
That's the way
I like to keep it.
You want to slay a giant,
you need a sacred spear.
Happy birthday, Jay.
Can I...?
Yeah. She's all yours.
I don't know what to say.
Just stay low, go fast.
Yeah. Yeah.
There. There he is.
Yeah, he can take a beating.
But can he surf?
Like nothing you've ever seen.
You ever seen anyone that can
tread water like that
for 45 minutes
without drowning?
He's got a point.
Good, I'll take that
as two yeses.
Just make sure he doesn't
drop in on me, all right?
Strong El
Nio induced winter storms
are queued up
in the Gulf of Alaska
and progressing eastward
towards California.
The first is producing 55-knot
winds and seas to 40 feet.
Large ocean swells
are expected to arrive
resulting in large
breaking waves
with heights to 35 feet.
Hey. It's pouring out there.
How you been?
Good.
Kim, what's wrong?
We've been friends forever.
You don't have to do this.
Just tell me.
It's just complicated.
Not from where I'm sitting.
That's because you only see
the good in everything.
Most of us spend
all of our time
dwelling on all the what ifs
and just looking for
all the reasons
why things
could never work out.
And what if you're wrong?
Then you show up
to a pizza parlor
late one night, in the rain.
Ever since we were
little kids, Jay,
I've just had this feeling
deep down inside...
...that you're the one,
and I'm gonna spend
the rest of my life with you.
What?
What's wrong?
Be advised,
there is an extremely high
surf advisory in effect.
Buoys reporting
32 feet at 18 seconds.
Hey.
Hey, Frosty, I just heard,
Okay.
Okay, I'll call Kim.
Are you sure
you don't wanna come?
I just want you to come home.
You sure you got everything?
Yeah.
All right, then.
Because of that,
there'll be a lot of cowboys
out there today
trying to prove themselves.
Some of them
are gonna get hurt.
So keep your distance
and keep your focus, all right?
So a swell with this much west
means sets will be shifting.
So you better be prepared.
Pull over. Pull over.
Let's keep you warm, okay?
Okay.
All right.
I'll catch up with you.
Hey.
Hey.
Coast looks pretty scary.
Never seen it this big before.
I've been thinking
about a lot of things lately.
You taught me to surf.
I never thanked you for that.
I'll be watching you, man.
End of an innocence,
my brother.
How you feeling, kid?
You ready?
Suit up.
We'll paddle out together.
What about you, Frost?
I made a promise
a long time ago, chief.
That isn't El Nio, boys.
That's El Jefe right there.
You gotta be kidding me.
It's too big for the kid.
Jay, are you sure about this?
I mean, really, really sure?
Because I'm not.
I am.
I know what you're
gonna say, so don't.
That wasn't the deal.
Remember?
No questions, no arguing.
I just wanted to tell you
something
I should've told you long ago.
Which is, it doesn't matter.
Whether you decide to
paddle out or take that drop,
I love you no matter what.
Frost.
Come on.
Hey, get us closer! Closer!
Let's do it!
- Whoo!
- Go time!
Ah...
Get out of here!
Sets are shifting!
Swing wide! Outside!
Kid, paddle, paddle, paddle!
Go, go, go!
Get your boats out of here now!
Go, Jay, get out!
Paddle, paddle, paddle!
Somebody's gonna die out there.
He'll be okay,
as long as he can still
climb up the leash.
Come on, Jay.
Come on, Jay.
There he is!
Grab ahold!
No, no, no! Give me my board!
You heard him!
Thanks.
Wait a minute.
What's he doing?
He came to surf Mavericks.
Set it up, man. Set it up.
- Take it.
- I got it.
Thanks.
Hold on, hold on.
- Got it?
- Yeah.
Come on, man,
you don't have to surf it.
Came this far,
you at least need to feel it.
No.
Think I've felt enough
for one day.
Kill it.
Dear Frosty,
Truth is that I am afraid.
I'm afraid I'll never
see my dad again
and that my mom
will never find happiness.
I'm afraid of losing Kim
because she's the love
of my life.
And, of course,
I'm afraid of losing you.
I'm not sure what you think
fathers are supposed to be,
but now I know
what they should be.
Glad to see you made it, kid.
I finally read my dad's letter,
which was like
my last essay to you.
Just a bunch of words
on a page.
This one's all you, charger.
I know this sounds strange,
but I've always felt
like I wouldn't be around
for very long,
which is why
I want to take that drop.
Because once I look down
over the edge
and I catch it,
I'll become a part of it.
And in that moment,
I'll know that I'm alive.
Jay became famous that day,
not for riding giants,
but for the courage of a boy
who dared the impossible.
Over the years, he rose to
the peak of the surfing world,
his prowess matched
only by his joy.
The true prince
amidst a sport of kings.
He married
his childhood sweetheart
and swore himself true.
As for the rest,
all I will say is, the ones
who push the limits discover...
...the limits sometimes
push back.
To Jay!
To Jay!
To Jay!
Yeah!
We all come from the sea,
but we're not all of the sea.
Those of us who are,
we children of the tides,
must return to it
again and again
until the day
we don't come back,
leaving behind only that
which was touched
along the way.
You just got to
appreciate everything.
Um, I think that's one
of the most important things
in life,
is just really appreciating it.
Because, you know,
we only get to do this once.
And it's not for a long time,
so enjoy it.
Yeah.