''Highwater'' is a 2008 documentary film centered on surfing's

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

competitions, the professional

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

tour's final three competitions held each year on the North Shore of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. The film is directed by Dana Brown, son of famed surfer and filmmaker Bruce Brown.

Background

Starting on Halloween and ending around Christmas, the competition attracts the sport's best surfers to Oahu's legendary North Shore, known for its huge waves and unparalleled surf. The Vans

is the ultimate proving ground for world class

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

, but the event also lures amateur

Plot

Real life drama, humor, death-defying waves, rivalries, parties, heart-break, romance, injuries, and humanity all collide during the nearly two-month competition on Hawaii's 7 Mile Miracle. The film follows multiple story lines over the course of the entire competition, taking the real-life events to construct a moving story.

Featured surfers

Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time. Slater is also ...

Sunny Garcia Vincent Sennen "Sunny" Garcia (born January 14, 1970) is an American professional surfer. He grew up in Waianae, Hawaii and, after leaving school, debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ Tom Carroll. His to ...

Andy Irons Philip Andrew Irons (July 24, 1978November 2, 2010) was an American professional surfer. Irons began surfing with his brother Bruce on the shallow and dangerous waves of Kauai, Hawaii, before being spotted by a local surfboard brand and flown to ...

Layne Beachley Layne Collette Beachley (born 24 May 1972) is a former professional surfer from Manly, New South Wales. She won the World Championship seven times. Currently she is the chair of Surfing Australia. Surfing career At the age of 16 Beachley ...

Rochelle Ballard Rochelle Ballard (born February 13, 1971) is an American professional surfer and a veteran of the Association of Surfing Professional's (ASP) World Championship Tour. She co-founded International Women's Surfing (IWS) and has appeared in severa ...

*Mark Healy * Pat O'Connell *

Rob Machado Robert Edward Machado (born October 16, 1973) is an Australian-born American professional surfer. Early life Machado attended San Dieguito High School. He describes himself in interviews, vlogs and social media as a "soul surfer," or free ...

John John Florence John "John John" Alexander Florence (born October 18, 1992) is an American professional surfer. He is known as "one of the most dominant pipe surfers of his era" and won back-to-back world titles on the 2016 World Surf League and 2017 World S ...

* Bruce Irons *

Chelsea Georgeson Chelsea Georgeson (now Chelsea Hedges) (born 15 October 1983) is an Australian surfer who won the world title in 2005. She won the title after beating Brazil's Jacqueline Silva in the final at the season-ending event at Honolua Bay, Hawaii ...

Jesse Billauer Jesse Billauer (born February 24, 1979) is a well-known surfer from Pacific Palisades, California. Billauer suffered an accident at the age of 17 on March 25, 1996, hitting his head on a shallow sandbar after being knocked off his surfboard by a ...

* Danny Fuller *

Lisa Anderson Lisa Anderson (born October 16, 1950) is an American political scientist and the former University president, President of the American University in Cairo (AUC). Research and career A specialist on Middle Eastern and North African politics, An ...

* Bruce Brown

Release

The film had its debut in August 2008 at the Surfing Heritage Foundation facility in

San Clemente, California San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...

. The world premiere was held at the

Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. Attractions Pacific Park Th ...

on May 22, 2009 in celebrations of the pier's 100th anniversary. Proceeds from the ticket sales went to help restoration of the pier.

References

External links

* *
Apostrophe Films

{{DEFAULTSORT:Highwater 2008 films 2008 documentary films Documentary films about surfing American sports documentary films Films shot in Hawaii Films directed by Dana Brown American surfing films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language documentary films