We all come from the sea,
but we are not all of the sea.
Those of us who are, we children of the tides,
must return to it again and again.
Four a thousand. Five a thousand.
Six a thousand. Seven a thousand.
Eight a thousand.
Nine a thousand.
One a thousand. Two a thousand.
Three a thousand. Four a thousand.
Five a thousand.
Six a thousand.
Seven a thousand. Eight a thousand.
The ball! Go over there!
Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.
- Ten a thousand. - Come on!
Eleven a thousand.
Come on, Jay, let's go! We're gonna get wet.
Man, did you see that? It's building!
That was the longest one yet.
One a thousand. Two a thousand.
Oh. Three a thousand.
Four a thousand.
Five... Sophie, no!
Jay, no! Look out!
Jay!
Oh, yeah, you're smiling now, big shot.
But if I hadn't paddled around the Point
at that exact moment...
It's a miracle, that's what it is.
And I don't believe in miracles. How old are you?
What, six, seven? Eight.
And three quarters, sir.
Well, you just used up your entire allotment of dumb luck.
Here's a novel idea.
On your next little date, why don't you go to the arcade?
Or pee-wee golfing.
Or something that doesn't involve getting you killed.
Because he likes to time the waves.
- Shh. - What? You do.
What do you mean, time the waves?
Um, to see if the swell is building or dropping.
The more seconds between them
each wave in a set, it means it's getting bigger.
Who taught you that?
Nobody, sir.
Just figured it out.
You just figured that out on your own?
Okay.
Thanks. Bye.
- Bye. Okay. - Bye.
Go straight inside, all right?
Close the door.
What now?
How big you reckon that wave was, sir?
It's a small world, kid,
but how they gauge the size of waves, well, that differs
from place to place, so, hard to say.
So it might be bigger somewhere else?
Look, it was definitely big enough, okay?
Like I said, kid, small world.
I appreciate you saving Sophie, Jay.
One of the bravest things I've ever seen.
Mom?
Hi, baby.
Unh. Sorry, Mama's not feeling so good.
Don't worry, Dad will change his mind.
There are hot dogs in the fridge.
Hey.
Need a hand?
Hey. What with, the coffee or the cupboard?
Uh, you just missed Roque again.
Just put her down.
Ahem. Yeah.
I had to help a friend out after work.
Mm-hm.
I'll go in, I'll give her a kiss.
Kiss would be nice.
Conversation every once in a while, maybe nicer.
Time to wake up, Jay.
Okay.
How do I look?
You look awesome.
I have an interview at Sears.
So, I'm coming home at 12:00
and we are going to get school supplies.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Excuse me. Ma'am?
Hi. Your husband home?
Uh, well, depends on who's asking.
I'm Jay Moriarty, ma'am.
He saved my life down at Three Mile yesterday.
Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry, I think you're mistaken
because Frosty was up in Scott's Valley laying roof yesterday.
No, ma'am. He was surfing the exact same time
I used up my allotment of dumb luck.
Is that so?
Frosty is actually down at The Point right now
but is there anything that I can help you with, Jay Moriarty?
Well, I seem to be missing parts on the bottom of my board.
Okay.
Fins, fins, fins.
- Where does he keep them? Oh. - Wow.
They call that thing a gun.
It's for riding the really big monsters.
Like that.
Where is that?
You should ask Frosty yourself.
Thanks.
Beat it, little trash.
Blondie, what are you doing?
Hey, man, you got to go in.
You're bleeding.
I can't. Not until I get up.
Dude, believe me, nobody gets up their first time.
Okay, okay. I'm only doing this
because you're gonna start attracting sharks
with all that blood.
When I say "now," you paddle as hard as you can
towards shore, you got it?
Now? No.
Now? Yeah! Paddle, paddle, paddle.
Hey, paddle. Paddle, paddle, paddle! Now!
Go, go, go!
Yeah!
You stealing a page out of my playbook there?
Couldn't help myself, Blondie.
It's always been a keeper.
Hey, little trash.
Got a question for you. Yeah.
What exactly are you trying to compensate for
with this long board of yours? Huh?
I was about to ask you the same thing about that bat.
Y'all come back now, you hear?
Come on, let's go!
Okay, okay, we're coming.
Sometime today, please.
Hey, Kim.
Hi! How was it out there?
Good. Feels like the swell is building.
Yeah? Did you time it?
Kimmy, come on, we got to go.
Um, all right, well, maybe I'll see you out there.
Later. Whoo!
Let her be, dude.
She's too old for you.
Get out! Get out of my house! Aah!
- Get down! - Mom!
And you stay down there! I'm tired of this!
- Get off me! Okay? - Mom!
I'm not going anywhere!
Jay.
Easy, kid. This is about back rent!
She tried grabbing me! All I did...
He owes us money!
Get off me! Unh!
No! Take it easy, kid!
Jay! No!
Jay! Jay, stop, stop! Jay!
Cops! Cops! Just let him go! Come on!
Hey, hey! Break it up! Break it up!
Get off me!
This is Victor-1-2. We're on the scene.
Offshore buoys are reporting seas
of 25 feet at 16 seconds.
Coming from the west northwest at 295 degrees.
Northwest winds are forecasted at 15 to 20 knots.
Swells are expected to reach up to 28 feet
at 17 seconds near shore.
Morning, Frank.
Careful out there, son.
Hey, buddy. What's up?
Next level out there today, boys.
Twenty-five at 16.
Let's rock and roll.
Right.
Let's do it.
Yeah, Frosty!
Now, we'll agree to forget how you got up here,
but as far as most are concerned,
that wave's a myth. Like the Loch Ness monster.
The four of us who surf there want to keep it that way.
Is that clear?
Buoys reporting swells of 28 feet
at 17 seconds coming from...
How big was that wave?
Did you hear what I just said?
Yes, sir.
Loch Ness monster.
How's it going over there?
Mom's not renting out the back anymore.
Means I get my own room.
But I got to double-up my shifts at Pleasure Pizza.
And your father?
He wrote me a letter a few years back
from his base in Panama.
So what'd he say?
I don't know.
Never opened it.
All right, well,
I got to get out of here. Got to get to work.
Hey, sir, I want to ride that wave.
I want to take that drop.
Not gonna happen.
Why not?
Because untrained boys don't step in the ring
with Mike Tyson, that's why.
I can handle it. You don't just do it.
Buddy, I've been surfing that break for 20 years.
You have any idea how much strength and know-how you need
to survive a break like that?
Frosty, I'm getting stronger by the day.
I'll hold my own.
Stronger by the day, huh? Yeah.
Okay, give me your hand.
Now resist me.
Okay, that all you got?
Is that it? Is that it?
Ow. Ow, ow, ow. Okay.
You ain't strong enough.
Right now, I'm surfing every single day, right? So, if I...
Shut up, all right?
Now, I know how good you are.
I've seen you out there.
You surf circles around those other kids.
But those are normal waves.
Surfing normal waves is about how you perform
when everything goes right.
Now, big wave surfing, that's a different ball game.
That's about how you perform when everything goes wrong.
One bump off the face of that wave,
and you're hitting the water like concrete
at 50 miles an hour.
And you got a thousand tons of water
coming down on top of you.
It's knocking you senseless, ripping you apart
and pushing you down to a place that is so deep and so dark,
you don't want to be there.
So why do it?
Hey. Come on, get out of here. I got work to do.
Train me, then. Train me to ride it.
Did you hear what I said?
Go on, get.
You don't get it, do you?
What?
There are all kinds of sons, Frosty, you know?
Some are born to you and some just occur to you.
Jay's looked up to you his entire life.
I mean, can't you see how much he needs you?
You want me to teach him to surf that wave?
He's a kid.
You made me promise I wouldn't even surf that...
Yeah, and you break that promise
every chance you get.
You think I don't know where you were this morning?
I heard the message on the machine.
"25 at 16"? Come on.
I don't know where you're going with this.
That boy's gonna surf that wave anyway. You know that, right?
Even if he dies trying.
I mean, wouldn't you?
Okay, two Hawaiians, two Santa Barbara,
one pepperoni and one cheese. All right.
Thank you.
Dude. Dude.
It goes, first sauce, then cheese, then toppings.
It's not rocket science.
You all right? You haven't been here since you got here, man.
You ever see something and you think,
like, it's the reason you were put here?
I mean, like, on this earth?
Sure, man.
Every time I turn on Baywatch.
Right, keep it moving.
Pleasure Pizza. Okay.
Hey, Blond, I'll be right back.
Hold on, hold on. Hey, dude, where are you going now?
- I'll be right back. - You're killing me here!
Hi, sir.
Okay, here's the deal.
I'm gonna train you for one thing
and for one thing only:
To survive that wave. All right?
You want to know why?
Because I don't want it on my conscience.
That's it.
No questions, no arguing, end of story.
I teach you what you need to know, and it's over.
You got it? Got it.
Now, the reason no one knows about this wave
is because it only happens on big northwest swells.
And the window for those swells closes in 12 weeks.
So you got 12 weeks.
Meet me in my shed tomorrow morning, 6:30 a.m.
Not 6:31 or 6:32.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Hey. Ooh.
Don't bother with that. We're not surfing.
Paddleboards.
All right. Unh.
A few things we need to establish before we begin.
The first,
thou shalt not ding Frosty's board
or damage thy neighbor's car.
Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.
Second, this little, uh, program
is all about building what I like to call
the four pillars of a solid human foundation. Understand?
Yes, sir.
How could you? I haven't even told you what they are.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
The four pillars of the human foundation
are the physical, the mental,
the emotional and the spiritual.
Though I admit to being a little bit wobbly
in that department.
I'm not sure I understand, sir.
You know what a thesis is?
Uh, an idea.
Exactly. An idea which attempts to explain something.
Lays it out to be proved or disproved.
So here's our thesis:
It's 36 miles across the bay from Santa Cruz to Monterey.
The day that you can paddle that far
will be the day you're ready to surf Mavericks.
Not a moment sooner.
Frosty, that's impossible.
Oh, more so than you know.
So the physical will represent the sheer strength
needed to make the paddle.
So you're gonna be doing this from now on, every day,
12 weeks.
And the mental will be tied to your own research.
The calculation of the tides and swells,
and, of course, your ability to navigate them all.
So, Monterey equals Mavericks. Deal?
Deal. Good. All I need
is for your mom to sign me a permission slip
accepting responsibility
for anything that's gonna happen along the way.
Whoa. Frosty.
Hey, Frosty, what if she doesn't sign it?
Deep breaths, steady rhythm. Drive and glide.
Hey, Sophie. What's up, girl?
Come here, Sophie. Shh.
Sophie. What are you...?
What are you doing here? My parents are asleep.
Can you sign me a permission slip
with my mom's signature on it? My handwriting blows.
Hey. A permission slip? For what?
Okay, I haven't told this to anyone
so you have to promise to keep it a secret.
Okay, promise.
It's Mavericks. I mean, it's real.
Maybe the biggest wave in the world.
I've seen it with my own eyes, it's right up the coast.
Frosty's gonna train me to surf it.
Mavericks? No one believes that.
I swear, it's like nothing you've ever seen before.
And if I ask my mom for permission,
it'll just give her an excuse to act like my mom for once
and she'll probably say no.
You look great. Thanks.
I would've asked you at school, but I know you don't like
being seen in public with younger men, so...
Hey, Blondie.
All right, fellas.
Come on, race you to the pool.
Ow!
Yeah! Sick!
Get some!
Whoo! Yeah! Aah!
Yeah, man, get up.
Yeah.
Hey. Hollybra's having a party tonight. You clowns going?
Yeah, sounds good to me. Jay?
No, I got school and stuff.
Dude.
We all got school, dude. That's no excuse.
Heard that. Haven't been to class all week.
Yeah.
The dude actually wonders why he's a second-year sophomore!
So, what kind of stuff you got going?
Just trying to make sense of everything.
We're in high school, dude.
Hey, Frosty.
Hey.
It's 20 to 4.
You told me to be here at 4.
Exactly.
So, we ready to go? Does it look like it?
Tell you what, we'll be ready
when you clean up that driveway.
That's what you get for being 20 minutes early.
Deep breaths.
You got to stretch out those lungs.
A wave like Mavericks will hold you down for minutes at a time
while it pounds you to a pulp.
If you can't hold your breath
for at least four minutes under normal circumstances,
then you may as well not even paddle out.
How long was that?
You know what, I'm not even gonna acknowledge
that just happened.
Hey.
Where'd you find that?
In the dresser that you moved into the baby's room.
Hm. God, you're so beautiful.
Mm.
Look, um, I know that surfing
is your passion and your life, your escape.
I get it.
But I need you to make me a promise.
And I'm serious this time.
That you're not gonna put the rush of a 30-foot drop
in front of the future of your two children.
I promise.
God, you're a good man.
Okay.
Jay's waiting for you.
Mom!
Mom, you got to get up right now!
You got a 6:00 shift!
You're gonna lose your job again! Mom!
Oh, no.
Mom, get up! Come on! I'm getting up!
Hey.
You're 11 minutes late.
Yeah, sorry, Frosty. You know, my mom...
She had to write my permission slip, so...
Your mother's got nice handwriting.
She take much convincing?
No.
Not much.
Good.
That your breakfast?
Hm? Yeah.
You want to be an athlete, you got to eat like one.
Take this.
Go on, take it.
You're gonna need it more than me.
Thanks.
Winds out of the south, southeast
at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots.
That's the Weather Radio, huh?
You use it to follow big surf?
Kind of like you timing the waves.
Only this thing's a little more accurate.
There's no way to paddle out there,
especially with long boards.
Oh, there's a way, all right.
So let's see if you're worth your salt, chief.
Okay, back to baking.
Let's go.
So you made it all of 30 yards.
If you want to get out there, you got to make it
through more than half a mile of this
just to get in position of Mavericks.
So you've got to conserve all the energy you've got.
All right.
Now let's take a look at what you missed.
Now, for some reason, you decided
to paddle straight out into that mess.
Now, take a look at the rocks over there.
See what's happening with the current?
It's got nowhere to go. Nowhere to go but where?
Back out? Exactly, back out.
To a waterman,
it's a conveyor belt.
Watch this.
So today's lesson
was about the power of observation.
Simple fact is you got two choices.
You can fight things head-on
or you can observe the laws of nature.
Because if you look hard enough,
there's always a way through it.
Make sense? Yes, sir.
Good man.
Because you're going to write me an essay about it.
Three pages, typewritten, single-space.
Devil's in the details of whatever you observe.
Time to start building your mental pillar, chief.
Hey, Kimmy.
Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
What are you doing?
Uh, I just got off work. You?
Oh, um, I was just trying to go for a swim,
but I guess they close early on Sundays.
You want to go swimming at night,
you got to use the back entrance.
Hey, this isn't so bad.
Okay, so how do we get down?
There's only one way I know of.
What? No. Are you serious?
No. Jay!
Hey.
I saw your bike. You didn't tell me.
So she know the rules? No.
Clear it. Clear it. Excuse me.
It's kind of like figure skating.
Points based on a combination of style,
execution and difficulty.
For example, I'm going to start with a standing one and a half.
High, I repeat, high level of difficulty.
Because I got to clear the pool deck.
Hit that, you're immediately DQ'd.
No. Wait, wait, wait. You guys aren't serious.
Really? No!
Oh... Oh!
And the judges say...
- Oh, my gosh. - Nice one, Blondie.
The only thing that can top that is a reverse back tuck.
Because of the blind entry. No! I can't watch this.
You have to.
You're the only judge.
No, Jay!
Whoo!
Look at this! Yeah!
And the judge turned competitor ties it with Moriarty.
- No. - No, no, no!
To see who the real champion will be
we're down to a final sprint. Whoo!
Ooh!
Hey, you cheater!
Ooh. You are disqualified.
Why?
Because you pulled my ankle!
I would have won that!
Whatever.
Forty.
What are you doing?
Four pillars of a solid human foundation.
Fifty. Mm-hm.
I made coffee, your clothes are in the dryer.
I'm swallowing water.
Well, you better grow gills.
You got two more minutes.
Yo, dude!
Three pages.
Congratulations.
You eaten?
It's good.
Oh. Thank you.
You're welcome.
Is this some sort of a joke?
No, sir.
So I ask you to write an essay, and you observe a girl.
You never told me what to observe.
Oh, come on, Jay. Really?
I'm training you to survive Mavericks,
not some, uh, silly teen crush.
Roque, go to bed.
Good night, Daddy.
I just thought...
What did you think? What did you think, Jay?
Nothing.
If you didn't think, you're wasting my time.
Frosty. Okay? And that's not something
I got a lot of these days.
You know what? It's not your fault.
You're 15. You're just a kid.
Jay, um, will you excuse us for a moment?
For heaven's sake, Frosty,
not everyone sees the world through your eyes.
Okay? He chose to examine something
that meant the world to him.
Something personal,
which he opened up and shared with you,
entrusted to you.
Brenda, I'm not concerned with his feelings.
I'm concerned with the objective.
The point of writing an essay
is to put your thoughts down on paper
and see the gaps and reflect.
And did he accomplish that or not?
I don't know. I...
My old man, he didn't even...
Shh, shh, shh.
It just takes patience.
You owe yourself that much.
Okay?
Okay.
I don't hear Lake.
Hey.
He just needed to be held, I think.
Don't we all sometimes?
All right, chief, sit down.
From now on, let's stick to the subject at hand.
First off, I want you to rewrite this essay,
but you can observe an actual break.
As in surf break.
Mr. Lopez.
Here.
- Miss Mirkin. - Here.
Mr. Moriarty.
Mavericks. November 10th, 9:13 a.m.
Swell westerly, approximately 12 feet
at 16-second intervals,
25- to 30-foot faces.
One of Frosty's crew heading out solo.
Looking like the best way out is to ride the current
inside the rocks.
Wind remains side-shore, maybe 10 knots.
Set suddenly shifting with no warning.
Large and northerly, at least double the size.
Come on, come on.
Hey, man.
Hey, Brenda.
How's it going? It's good.
Yeah? I'm curious to hear how it is from the one
on the other end of the whip.
You know, just keeping me on my toes.
Not being too hard on you, is he?
No. No, I feel like it's the other way around, maybe.
How so?
Sometimes, when you've been through a lot in life,
you know, sometimes you're hard on yourself.
That's the way it is with my mom, at least, you know?
You sure you're only in high school?
Yeah.
Bye.
See you.
See you guys. Take it easy.
Looks like your girlfriend's keeping tabs on you.
- Ha, ha. - Yo, who's that?
Oh, he's cool. All right, later.
What's this?
You my keeper all of a sudden? Hey.
You having this conversation with me
or your conscience, Blond?
I just wanted to tell you, it's your turn to lock up.
Jay?
Aah! Oh, my God.
1:46.
Almost two full minutes.
Jay, can I talk to you?
Uh, hold on.
Come in.
Hey. Hey.
Hey, your uniform's, um... It's in the dryer.
Oh. Thank you. Thanks.
Okay.
Um, listen, I was wondering if I could borrow $15.
I got a parking ticket,
and, you know, if you don't pay them, it's...
Yeah.
I'm gonna pay you back.
I promise.
Thanks.
Hey. You heading out, Blond?
Like you care.
Sonny!
Outside!
Oh-oh-oh.
Boy can get it done.
If that's what you call snaking someone's wave, man,
Guess we can't all be as perfect as you, can we, Jay?
Blond, you're better than that.
All right? Let's go get some.
Whoo! Yeah!
Hey.
You're back early.
What you doing?
You know, it's, uh...
He wanted to surprise you.
Well, he succeeded.
Carry on.
You're the worst! You're the worst!
Hey, did you see that big outside set?
It was firing today!
Careful, man. He's wasted.
Uh, yeah, let me get a, um...
A hot dog, extra chili.
Ahem. No, check that. Make it a jelly donut.
All we got is pizza, bro.
Hey, little trash,
why are you always smiling all the time, huh?
Oh, there you go again.
You see, when you smile, you look like a little wuss.
When you look like a little wuss,
you don't get no respect.
Sure got it today.
Hey! Hey! Hey, get off!
Come on! Get off me, man!
You throw a punch, you better pray
I don't make it back up, you little punk.
Yeah, you think you're better than the rest of us, don't you?
I see you paddling out there every morning with Frosty.
Come on, man, let's get out of here.
Paddle, paddle, paddle, little grom.
Let's go, bro.
Let's get out of here.
Looks like you dropped something.
I read your essay.
What do you think?
I think that's what I expected from you all along.
You done good, chief.
And now the lion sleeps.
The wave's gonna break behind us
where the reef falls
from about 40 feet to about 1500 feet.
Here's what you want to avoid:
Firstly, see those rocks over there?
They call that the Boneyard.
Whatever you do, do not let the current push you in there.
It'll smash you to pieces.
So where do you set?
What you got to do is triangulate.
You draw a line between yourself and that dish
and that mushroom rock over there.
The biggest treachery of all is what lies underneath.
Most waves break on reefs
less than 20 feet beneath the surface.
Depth is doubled out here.
Meaning, when it's firing, you got twice the water mass,
twice the wave energy,
and twice the likelihood of drowning.
Don't worry. I got your back, kid.
What happened?
What do you mean? I just saw a 15-foot shark.
I'm sure it scared the piss out of you,
but that wasn't what I asked. Why'd you panic?
Just fear, I guess.
All right, well, one thing you got to know,
fear and panic are two separate emotions.
Fear is healthy, panic is deadly.
Because when this place is firing
and I'm talking about 30-, 40-foot waves,
it's all about fear.
But you panic out there, like you just did,
you die.
Well, if you're scared to death,
how do you not panic?
By identifying the fear
and what it is you're afraid of.
Not just out there, but in life.
Welcome to your next essay.
All right, guys, listen up. Uh, homework assignment, okay?
Put your pencils down. Don't write until I'm done.
Gotta listen first, okay? Here we go.
Name the four sophila of arthropods.
Which sophila is thought to be the eldest?
Which sophila is thought to be the eldest? Number one.
Number two: Compare complete and incomplete metamor...
There he goes again.
Hey. Hey.
I was hoping I'd see you here.
Um, we're doing a bonfire down at the cove.
You want to stop by after work?
Oh, thanks, you know, but I got to...
Where's the action?
I want to party!
You know, come on. I got a better idea.
Yeah, okay, that's $14.56.
Dude, no. What?
I'll owe you forever, Blond.
- What's up? - I promise.
Oh, hey. Dude, you dropped your, uh...
Hey. You're home.
Yeah, I finished up early, so I thought I'd get back.
Is Roque in her room?
Yeah, she's getting ready for bed.
What's in the bag? Oh.
My old man used to read to me as a kid,
and I thought, you know, maybe...
Maybe I would start reading to Roque.
Okay.
Roque?
Hi, Daddy.
Hey, I take it this isn't your first time here.
It's my first time with anyone else.
Look, you see that?
That's the seventh brightest star in the sky, Rigel.
Right above it, on either side,
that's Betelgeuse and Bellatrix.
It's the shoulders of Orion.
What? Ha, ha.
How'd you know that?
I learned it from my dad.
He started teaching me about the stars
when I was maybe, like, 3 or 4.
There are 88 constellations,
but I never got a chance to learn them all.
Come on.
Follow me.
Whoa!
Paddle, paddle, paddle! Come on, Kimmy!
Yeah!
Kimmy, give me your hand.
Get over here. Kimmy, come on. Come on.
- Ow! - No!
Frost, I saw you were counting
on your fingers when we were diving at Mavericks.
The longer you're down there, the more your mind unspools.
You mark each minute with a finger.
Run out of fingers
and you know you're in trouble.
Feel the water getting colder?
Yeah.
Because of what lies beneath us.
It's the Monterey Trench, 5,280 feet deep.
Current drops in here,
heads east until it hits the Southern Wall.
Creating what? It's a back eddy.
You know, the day you hit that eddy
is the day you'll be more than halfway there.
Where'd you learn all that stuff anyway?
From you.
I mean, from books and maps.
You told me to study the currents and the tides.
Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?
Used to come out here
and just paddle out to the deepest part.
Used to bob up and down like a cork just...
Just to feel it.
To feel what?
The abyss.
The tide is really strong today.
That's because of tropical hurricanes from Japan.
Making their way across the Pacific.
Really?
Only happens once every seven to 10 years.
Last El Niño was '83.
Brought waves into Mavericks
the size of five-story buildings.
Oh, yeah. El Niño.
Do you think it'll happen again this year?
I don't know.
But if it does, you'd better be ready.
Because that wave of ours
ain't gonna be a secret anymore.
So, girl I want you to know
Nice.
Thank you, ladies.
All right, I gotta go get some wood.
No.
I got to keep you ladies warm.
Why don't you go help Daddy?
Bye.
Oh, no. You're leaving.
Yeah, swing shift calls.
No. Oh, good to see you.
So, wait, where did you guys meet?
You're looking at it. Really?
Yeah. This is where we went on our first date.
He asked me out to dinner, and before I know it,
he's, you know, spearing a fish
and cooking it over a campfire like a caveman,
and I'm just sitting there
in my white taffeta dress and my pearls,
you know, wondering where my cutlery is.
Is all of his family here?
No, we're his only family.
Frosty lost both his folks when he was young.
He doesn't really talk about it much.
Kind of carries it on the inside.
Always has.
Somehow,
it's just made him feel unfit. Hey.
I don't know. It just... It breaks my heart.
You take care of that boy, you hear?
Yeah, I will. Okay.
I mean, we're just friends, but I'll take care of him.
- Just friends? - Hey, hey.
Wow. Nice catch! Anybody want to kiss a fish?
Not me. Eh? Yeah.
No! No! Jay, no!
No! Do not get that near me! No!
No!
Hey.
What's up? Hey. How are you?
- Oh... - Well, well.
Glad you showed up.
We came to see the Mavericks man.
What are they doing here?
What are you, like, Neighborhood Watch?
So, what's the deal, little trash?
You gonna slay that dragon by yourself
or is your rent-a-dad gonna help?
"From a distance, I watched and realized
"that along with rare beauty comes constant scrutiny.
Like being the lead in a school play."
That's poetic, man.
It's a shame she laughs at you behind your back, though.
But, I mean, you already knew that, right?
It's kind of obvious since she won't be seen with you.
Paddle, paddle, paddle, little grom.
Paddle, paddle, paddle.
I'm not doing it again.
Okay, well, you know the deal.
You want to walk, that's your choice.
Why are you doing this to me?
Because I want the truth.
I want to know what you're afraid of.
I don't know.
You don't know? Or you don't wanna know?
I don't know.
Well, you better ask yourself,
what do you want to leave behind?
The truth of who you really are or just some words on a page?
All that stuff that's burning deep down inside of you,
what is that?
That stuff you can't even look at
because it scares you so much,
that the same thing in that letter?
That letter that you can't open...
Don't. But you can't even throw away.
Don't do this! Don't do what?
If you don't even have the courage
to open that letter,
then how can you take on that wave?
Stop it! I don't know, okay? I said I don't know.
Dad, quick, Mommy's sick.
Brenda.
Mommy?
Jay. Call 911. I'm here, sweetheart.
I'm right here. Hurry.
Mommy. Mommy!
Yeah, yeah, we have an emergency.
Babe, I'm with you.
I need you to send an ambulance, please.
Jay, tell them she's having a stroke.
I think she's having a stroke. She can't talk.
Just breathe, baby.
I don't know. I don't know. She fell...
Mommy! Mommy!
She's not moving.
Okay, babe. Baby, I got you.
We're at 311 38th Street, in Pleasant Point.
Hi.
How could this happen?
Jay, can we talk?
Please?
Are you okay?
No.
I have to go.
Okay.
Go away.
My grandchildren are wondering where their father is.
No, they're wondering where their mother is, sir.
Then tell them.
I don't know what to say.
Tell them the truth.
She's at the side of God in heaven.
Well, I'm not sure I believe that right now.
Maybe...
Maybe we'll take the kids for a couple of days.
Yeah.
Those two children have lost their mother.
Now don't deny them the comfort of their father.
Now, come inside.
Why did he leave us, Mom?
He didn't leave us.
He left me.
Frosty?
Frost.
Hey, Frosty?
Show Daddy the soft baby rabbit.
Say, "Hi."
Say, "I love you, Daddy."
Can you show Daddy?
Show Daddy the soft baby rabbit.
Say, "Hi." Can you say, "I love you, Daddy."
Frost?
Hi, Daddy. She said, "Da!"
She said "Daddy."
That's good. Should we read a story to Daddy?
Should we read a story...
Deep breaths.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
Frosty!
Deep breaths.
Steady rhythm.
Drive and glide.
Frosty!
The current.
He floated with the current.
Frosty, what are you doing? What are you doing?
You can't just walk away from everything!
Why not? Huh? Why not?
She's all I had, Jay.
She's all I ever knew.
All I know, Frost, is what you told me.
If you look hard enough,
there's always a way through it.
But what if I don't have the strength, Jay?
Which pillar do I lean on then?
The fifth one.
Which one is that?
It's me.
Come on.
That's enough of this.
Come on. It's time to go.
Hey, Jay.
You're going the wrong way.
I felt the back eddy, Frost.
That means we're more than halfway across the bay.
Closer to what's in front of us than what's behind.
Paddle, Frosty.
Good morning.
Did you forget what day it is?
Oh. And this is all of the money
that I borrowed from you.
Plus some interest.
Mom, where did you get this?
I was made the shift manager because I'm so punctual.
All right. Open your present.
Frosty said that you might be needing that
to follow the swells.
And he said there is a very big one coming.
It was hard to figure out what he was talking about,
but they're calling it El Niño, which means "the boy."
You know that because you got a C in Spanish. Hey.
You knew about this the whole time.
Yeah. Frosty's no dummy,
and my handwriting is not that good.
Happy birthday.
Yes! Ha!
Nice weather we're having, eh, ladies?
Hey. How's it going, Bob?
How you holding up?
Yeah, yeah. Good.
This is Jay.
Bob Pearson. Heard a lot about you, kid.
Thank you, sir. Follow me.
How's it cooking? Catching any waves?
No, I'll never surf anymore.
I'm making too many boards for all you guys.
That's the way I like to keep it.
You want to slay a giant, you need a sacred spear.
Happy birthday, Jay.
Can I...?
Yeah. She's all yours.
I don't know what to say.
Just stay low, go fast.
Yeah. Yeah.
There. There he is.
Yeah, he can take a beating.
But can he surf?
Like nothing you've ever seen.
You ever seen anyone that can tread water like that
for 45 minutes without drowning?
He's got a point.
Good, I'll take that as two yeses.
Just make sure he doesn't drop in on me, all right?
Strong El Niño induced winter storms
are queued up in the Gulf of Alaska
and progressing eastward towards California.
The first is producing 55-knot winds and seas to 40 feet.
Large ocean swells are expected to arrive
resulting in large breaking waves
with heights to 35 feet.
Hey. It's pouring out there.
How you been?
Good.
Kim, what's wrong?
We've been friends forever.
You don't have to do this. Just tell me.
It's just complicated.
Not from where I'm sitting.
That's because you only see the good in everything.
Most of us spend all of our time
dwelling on all the what ifs
and just looking for all the reasons
why things could never work out.
And what if you're wrong?
Then you show up to a pizza parlor
late one night, in the rain.
Ever since we were little kids, Jay,
I've just had this feeling deep down inside...
...that you're the one,
and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with you.
What?
What's wrong?
Be advised,
there is an extremely high surf advisory in effect.
Buoys reporting 32 feet at 18 seconds.
Hey.
Hey, Frosty, I just heard, 32 at 18.
Okay.
Okay, I'll call Kim.
Are you sure you don't wanna come?
I just want you to come home.
You sure you got everything?
Yeah.
All right, then. Because of that,
there'll be a lot of cowboys out there today
trying to prove themselves.
Some of them are gonna get hurt.
So keep your distance and keep your focus, all right?
So a swell with this much west
means sets will be shifting.
So you better be prepared.
Pull over. Pull over.
Let's keep you warm, okay?
Okay. All right.
I'll catch up with you.
Hey. Hey.
Coast looks pretty scary.
Never seen it this big before.
I've been thinking about a lot of things lately.
You taught me to surf.
I never thanked you for that.
I'll be watching you, man.
End of an innocence, my brother.
How you feeling, kid?
You ready?
Suit up. We'll paddle out together.
What about you, Frost?
I made a promise a long time ago, chief.
That isn't El Niño, boys.
That's El Jefe right there.
You gotta be kidding me.
It's too big for the kid.
Jay, are you sure about this?
I mean, really, really sure?
Because I'm not.
I am.
I know what you're gonna say, so don't.
That wasn't the deal.
Remember?
No questions, no arguing.
I just wanted to tell you something
I should've told you long ago.
Which is, it doesn't matter.
Whether you decide to paddle out or take that drop,
I love you no matter what.
Frost.
Come on.
Hey, get us closer! Closer!
Let's do it!
- Whoo! - Go time!
Ah...
Get out of here! Sets are shifting!
Swing wide! Outside!
Kid, paddle, paddle, paddle!
Go, go, go!
Get your boats out of here now!
Go, Jay, get out!
Paddle, paddle, paddle!
Somebody's gonna die out there.
He'll be okay,
as long as he can still climb up the leash.
Come on, Jay.
There he is!
Grab ahold!
No, no, no! Give me my board!
You heard him!
Thanks.
Wait a minute. What's he doing?
He came to surf Mavericks.
Set it up, man. Set it up.
- Take it. - I got it.
Thanks.
Hold on, hold on.
- Got it? - Yeah.
Come on, man, you don't have to surf it.
Came this far, you at least need to feel it.
No.
Think I've felt enough for one day.
Kill it.
Dear Frosty,
Truth is that I am afraid.
I'm afraid I'll never see my dad again
and that my mom will never find happiness.
I'm afraid of losing Kim
because she's the love of my life.
And, of course, I'm afraid of losing you.
I'm not sure what you think fathers are supposed to be,
but now I know what they should be.
Glad to see you made it, kid.
I finally read my dad's letter,
which was like my last essay to you.
Just a bunch of words on a page.
This one's all you, charger.
I know this sounds strange,
but I've always felt
like I wouldn't be around for very long,
which is why I want to take that drop.
Because once I look down over the edge
and I catch it, I'll become a part of it.
And in that moment, I'll know that I'm alive.
Jay became famous that day,
not for riding giants,
but for the courage of a boy who dared the impossible.
Over the years, he rose to the peak of the surfing world,
his prowess matched only by his joy.
The true prince amidst a sport of kings.
He married his childhood sweetheart
and swore himself true.
As for the rest,
all I will say is, the ones who push the limits discover...
...the limits sometimes push back.
To Jay!
Yeah!
We all come from the sea,
but we're not all of the sea.
Those of us who are, we children of the tides,
must return to it again and again
until the day we don't come back,
leaving behind only that
which was touched along the way.
You just got to appreciate everything.
Um, I think that's one of the most important things
in life, is just really appreciating it.
Because, you know, we only get to do this once.
And it's not for a long time, so enjoy it.
Yeah.