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Garrett McNamara’s life mission is to catch the biggest, best waves on the planet.
In the winter of 2003, he survived the monstrous barrel at Jaws; he is one of only 2 human beings ever to ride tsunami waves generated by calving glaciers in Alaska; he has gone deeper in the barrel than anyone has ever gone at Teahupoo. The list goes on.
Garrett was born in 1967 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and took up surfing when his family moved to the North Shore of Hawaii in 1978. At seventeen, Garrett entered and placed in the prestigious Hawaiian Triple Crown Series.
When boats and then Personal Water Craft enabled surfers to chase down and catch giant waves that were thought impossible to ride, Garrett was at the forefront, raising the bar on what could be ridden and survived.
In 2003, Garrett and his partner Rodrigo Resende flew to Maui to compete in
70-foot surf at Jaws that Garrett admits was “terrifying.” Garrett and Resende won and took home the $70,000 purse – still the largest purse ever won in any surfing event.
Garrett continued to push the envelope, following the World Contest with a tow-in session at giant Teahupoo, netting him a dramatic 20’ barrel shot that graced the covers of major surf magazines around the world.
Always on the lookout for new and different experiences in surfing, Garrett took up Stand Up Paddle surfing taking SUPs into monstrous slabs at big-wave venues like Waimea, Puerto Escondido, even Mavericks. In June of 2009, the International Surfing Association invited Garrett to compete in the World Stand Up Paddle Surfing Championship. Garrett was one of only 32 elite surfers invited to attend the event.
He is still on a mission to explore the world’s best and biggest waves. In 2010 Garrett discovered the geographic phenomenon, The North Canyon, off the coast of Portugal. These are the largest waves Garrett has found to date and for the next three years will be working with the government on an on going project.
Garrett signed on as a team rider and global ambassador to WaveJet in early 2011.
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Team WaveJet 
