This could arguably be the best surf movie of all time. There are countless quotes and one-liners that will become ingrained in your vocabulary. I dare you to watch this movie once and it not being in your top 10 movies of ALL time…total classic.
The premise of the movie as kook from Arizona who wins a wave pool contest and heads to the North Shore of Oahu. Rick put his graphic design school in New York on hold for the summer and decides to spend his contest winnings on a plane ticket to Hawaii. After leaving the comforts of Arizona, the naive Rick Kane runs into nothing but trouble.
Struggling to fit in amongst the line up at Pipeline he quickly learns he is not the badass surfer he thought he was. After several run-ins and “disrespectful” surf etiquette Rick finds himself the main target of Da Hui. To make matters worse, he falls in love with a local girl Kiani (Nia Peeples) who’s family and uncle is the head of Da Hui. Kiani’s uncle is played by surf legend Gerry Lopez.
Rick tries his hardest to fit in with no luck, until he meets a local resident named Turtle. Turtle eventually introduces Rick to Chandler who is a local shaper that takes him under his wing. Chandler agrees if Rick creates a surf logo for his surf boards, he will teach him how to properly surf the Hawaiian waves and gain the respect of the local surf crowd. The entire story line is like The Karate Kid… and who does not like The Karate Kid!!
Lastly, Rick signs up to surf the Pipeline surf contest – which Chandler is vocally against due to his own surfing beliefs. The top surf dawg on the North Shore is Lance Burkhart (Laird Hamilton) which is also Rick Kane’s surf Hero and a complete egotistical prick! You will have to tune in and see how it ends… you will not be disappointed.
This movie is filled with surf legends such as Mark Occhilupo, Mark Foo, Gerry Lopez, and Laird Hamilton. I am sure most of you have seen this classic movie, but if you haven’t it will be worth your while!
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