18 Facts About Garrett McNamara

Garrett "GMAC" McNamara was born on August 10,1967 and is an American professional big wave surfer best known for setting the world record for largest wave ever surfed, as documented in the HBO series 100 Foot Wave.

Garrett McNamara was born on August 10,1967, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Garrett McNamara spent much of his childhood in Berkeley, California.

Garrett McNamara 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 Oahu, Hawai'i in 1978.

At 11 years old, Garrett McNamara followed his younger brother's footsteps and began surfing at Sunset, Waimea and the outer reefs in search of giant swells.

Garrett McNamara entered and placed in the prestigious Triple Crown of Surfing series at age 17 and began to gain sponsors.

Tow surfing caught on among the surfing community in the early 2000s, and Garrett McNamara was one of the first to join the movement.

Garrett McNamara welcomed and craved the challenge to find the biggest waves in the world, which became his dream and mission in life.

Garrett McNamara was at Jaws and caught a wave with a 20-foot barrel where onlookers believed he had been crushed by the lip of the wave.

In January 2016, Garrett 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.

Video of Garrett McNamara's wipeout went viral, and local surfers have said it was one of the worst wipeouts caught on video.

Garrett McNamara's record beat the prior world record by over a foot, but the premature announcement proved a source of controversy in the surf world.

Meanwhile, Garrett McNamara continued to search for an even larger wave.

In January 2013, Garrett McNamara broke his own world record by surfing an estimated 100-foot wave.

Garrett McNamara became interested in Stand Up Paddle and gave it his own twist by designing and creating SUP boards for a more extreme experience, venturing into big wave venues like Waimea, Puerto Escondido, and Mavericks.

Garrett McNamara was invited to compete in the World Stand Up Paddle Surfing Championship in June 2009 by the International Surfing Association, where only 32 elite surfers were invited to attend.

Garrett McNamara is married to Nicole Garrett McNamara, an environmental sciences teacher.

Garrett McNamara has three children from his previous marriage to Konnie Pascual McNamara: Ariana Kaimana McNamara, Titus Waimea McNamara and Tiari McNamara.