I first met Makai McNamara in Tahiti and I could see the spray coming from his turns long before our boat anchored in the channel. Once in the lineup, watching from up close his radical backhand approach, filled with late drops and power hacks, I was blown away by his skills. We were introduced later and, as the only Americans there, got to chatting while our local friends were catching up in French. After a while he said, “Well, if you’re ever in Hawaii, be sure to hit me up.”
I share that to offer an idea of what he’s like when not charging some of the heaviest waves in the world: humble, grounded, and overall nice guy. When news spread of his near-drowning at Pipeline last winter, it was easy to understand the outpouring of love and support. What was harder to understand was just how well he could recover and come back to the life he loved.
In his first public statement on the experience, he offers a sage perspective that clearly comes from the heart of someone who nearly lost it all. “To almost die doing the thing you really love just puts everything into perspective. The first thing I remember is them telling me that my brain was still at full function and I was very grateful…I don’t remember the day at all but I did know that it happened at Pipe and that I probably hit my head on the bottom.”
Hunter S. Thompson once wrote about “the edge” (in between life and death) and said that the only ones who know where it really is, are the ones who went too far. In those regards, Makai might know it better than nearly anyone as he says, “It’s the most I could have gone through without dying, so I feel pretty good going forward, I don’t really have any fear of doing it again.”
Magna
On growing up on the North Shore and hailing from one of the most prolific surfing families, he says, “It was kind of a lot of pressure, to be honest. Seeing my uncle and dad and all these big shoes I had to fill.” It seem as though his perspective is one of deep gratitude and realizing just how his mental performance is as important as physical preparedness. “I now think the most important thing is just enjoying the little moments of life.”
Magna also interviewed two other Hawaiian heavies, Barron Mamiya and Luana Silva, on their relationship to surfing and growing up on the North Shore.
Related: Miguel Blanco & The Eco-Board Project Charge The World’s Heaviest Waves (Video)