Let's get it out of the way — I am not a sports lover in any sense of the word. (I may have recently referred to baseball's pre-season as "rehearsal.")
And though there are plenty of great sports documentaries across the best streaming services, from "Hoop Dreams" to "Pumping Iron" to "Murderball," there's only one that has managed to captivate an athletic-averse TV watcher like me: "100 Foot Wave."
The HBO documentary series — which focuses on big-wave riders like surf pioneer Garrett McNamara, Andrew Cotton, CJ Macias and Justine Dupont in their quest to find and conquer the titular, mythically huge swell off the coast of Portugal — premiered with its first six-episode season back in July 2021. Another six eps surged onto the network in spring 2023.
And with a five-part third season, which premieres today (May 1), viewers can catch up with McNamara and the rest of the sandy bunch. Now a decade into his odyssey of conquering the surfing equivalent of Mount Everest, the new eps will take on extra urgency as McNamara is forced to confront the toll that big-wave surfing has taken on both his body and mind.
Here's why you should add the Emmy-winning docuseries "100 Foot Wave" to your Max watch list ASAP.
What is '100 Foot Wave' about?
Directed and executive produced by Chris Smith ("Branson"), the third season of "100 Foot Wave" will continue to chronicle the globe-trotting surf adventures of professional big-wave rider Garrett McNamara, his wife Nicole and their young family, as well as fellow surfers like Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca, Nic von Rupp, Kai Lenny, Pedro “Scooby” Vianna and Tony Laureano, among others.
Season 3 will expand the surfing action from the documentary's pseudo homebase of Nazaré, Portugal — where McNamara first set a big wave world record in 2011, turning the small coastal town into an international surfing destination — to new locales like Morocco, Italy and O’ahu, Hawaii (the latter, excitingly, for the prestigious Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, held for the first time in nearly a decade.)
And a new crop of temptingly monstrous swells has the pro athletes contending with near-fatal wipeouts, career-ending injuries, and whether or not that insatiable need to outdo Mother Nature is worth the often-devastating costs.
Why you should you stream '100 Foot Wave'
The adrenaline-pumping athleticism on view in "100 Foot Wave" certainly makes it one of the most thrilling sports docs on offer. It's truly astonishing to see the death-defying skill these surfers must have to gracefully cruise along the ocean's most powerful curls and crashes.
The doc's stunning aerial and water visuals deservedly won the Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program in both 2022 and 2023, with the camera team never missing one heart-stopping moment, both from the shore and in the water.
(The documentary series has also received Emmy nominations for its Picture Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Writing and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.)
But it's not just those terrific and terrible natural elements that warrant a watch — it's the humans weathering them, too. "100 Foot Wave" really finds its flow as it follows the ups and downs of its ambitious subjects, as they navigate all of the soaring triumphs and crushing tragedies of their beloved but dangerous preoccupation.
This season will also deal with how aging — not just physically but socially, via marriages, children and other comparatively "grown-up" pursuits — puts a ticking clock on the surfers' dreams of achieving the near-impossible.
McNamara, in particular, makes for "a compelling central figure," as Johnny Loftus writes in his review for Decider, because his "mercurial nature is the source of both his big wave success and a near-constant sense of mortal jeopardy." That 100-foot swell might be perfect, but those seeking it refreshingly aren't.
Fittingly, the first season of "100 Foot Wave" premiered with a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; though season 2 doesn't have a critical score, the follow-up boasts a still-stellar 92% Popcornmeter rating with audiences. We're expecting the upcoming third season will reach similarly towering heights.
"100 Foot Wave" season 3 premieres Thursday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
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