Hanging 10 with the giants of Riding Giants
Surfers long for the joy of catching that perfect swell large or small, but only a handful of brave souls know the thrill of riding a wave the size of a small building. We sat down with big-wave surf legends Jeff Clark and Greg Noll, whose unmatched surfing skills are featured in the surf documentary Riding Giants, and director, co-writer, and producer Stacy Peralta (also a surfer), to find out what exactly is so fun about taking their lives in their hands and get a few pro tips. Surf’s up, dude!
Watching this film, some people might think you guys are crazy to surf waves that big. Why do you do it?
Stacy Peralta: It’s a lifestyle, that’s what it’s really all about.
Jeff Clark: Our time clock, our work schedules revolve around what Mother Nature’s doing. If there’s a storm coming and it’s like, OK it’s gonna hit in 2 days, so we’re jammin’ to clear our schedules so that when those waves hit, we’re at the beach.
How big is the universe of hardcore big-wave surfers?
SP: A small percentage.
Greg Noll: In my day, probably 7 or 8 guys.
JC: 50 to 100.
GN: But if you scrape away all the wanna-bes and get right down to it, 50.
There have been a few surfing movies lately, like last year’s Step Into Liquid. Tell us why you were motivated to do another.
SP: In Dogtown and Z-Boys [Peralta‘s successful 2001 documentary on the development of the Venice, Calif., skateboarding scene], we were able to transmit some of the magic of skateboarding, that whole world and subculture, to a lot of people who didn’t know anything about it. So I wanted to do something in surfing. I realized we could use the canvas of the big wave to hook people who don’t even like the medium, then tell the great history of surfing. Looking through the archives of the greats I was just going, “This is a treasure chest, people need to see this stuff.” Plus the big wave arena has some of the most interesting characters that you’re going to find in surfing in general, and the most interesting stories. And there’s life and death, discovery, and adventure. So for me, it was tailor-made for a film.
Tell us about the lure of the wave. What is it that keeps you coming back for more, and what’s your secret to keeping your head above water, so to speak?
GN: The ferocity, if it’s under control. I’m not talking about really big waves, I’m talking about Sunset at 15 feet or something like that. You get dunked and sometimes you’re under the water and it’s just beautiful-the bubbles, and it’s like a waterfall. I remember this one time I was giggling and when I came up this one guy goes, “What are you laughing about? That’s the worst wipeout I’ve seen in a month.” It’s controlled, Mother Nature’s messing with you and at the same time you’re doing the dance with her, and playing back with her.
JC: She’s just tossin’ ya around.
SP: Sometimes when you’re dropping down a wave, if you don’t turn right, that thing can come down and clip ya.
JC: And then the avalanche runs you over and it’s black and it’s dark and there’s just endless tumbling, you just have to hold out. Even if this thing is gonna come down, somehow your mind adjusts to that. You want to stay out from under the exact lip; I always have been able to do that.
GN: I’ve gotten to the point where I actually enjoy the tumble.
SP: I think big-wave riders have to.
JC: I broke a board last year getting caught in a giant. I paddled to this wave, it was like the first or second wave of the day, and I pulled back and I was just like, “Oh god, I’m done.” So I start paddling towards it, and I pushed my board off, and I just push up, and just push off and plunge, and I don’t even take a stroke. I just go as far as I can in one fall and this thing hits probably 10 yards outside of me. At that point, you’re at [its] mercy.
If you weren’t a surfer, what would you be doing?
SP [addressing the others and laughing]: Think we’d be incarcerated by now?
GN: I don’t know. I’d be one lost S.O.B. I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s just dictated my lifestyle and everything in between. I’ve never had a real job. I’ve basically been surfing and anything I’ve done for money has been fun.
Any unpleasant encounters with sea animals?
SP: Other than jellyfish stings, no.
GN: When I was a kid, the biggest seal I had ever seen popped up in front of the board, whiskers like pencils. He wouldn’t move and I wasn’t sticking my arms in the water; I was 4 miles from the shore. I was 13 and pretty goddamned scared.
JC: I’ve had a shark swim down the channel towards the beach. He left, we went in.
When you die and get to the pearly gates, what do you want God to say?
JC: Nice wave.
Craving the wave yourself? Riding Giants is now playing in select theaters in CA, NY, and HI.
