Garrett MacNamara and I have been perpetually bumping into each other for over a decade now. He and I for many years, just seemed to always be in the same place and time to see the ocean and weather coincide to produce some remarkable moments. He surfed. I shot. AFterwards we both laughed. “Wow, you were there”.
We finally exchanged phone numbers a few years back. I will not say that having the digits made things any easier to connect, but it sure makes for an extra few moments to share our very unique lives together.
I doubt that there are many watermen alive who have the good natured acumen which Garret does. Probably under 2 dozen in the world which embody the skill level, strength and aloha I have seen him demonstrate repeatedly at Jaws, Cortes Bank, Pipeline, Wiamea, Mavericks and points beyond.
He and I are team mates on K38 Rescue, a global group of ocean safety oriented rescue boat operators headed up by Shawn Alladio.
Garrett rang me the other day. He was passing through with Nicole and needed to borrow a wetsuit for her. He let me know he would be paddling out at the Pipe a break which I can actually see from my bedroom window. I toodled down in time to see him stroke an 8’6″ SUP into a couple.
Garrett rides every kind of board imaginable. It was funny seeing him manage the chop and confluence of a late afternoon session on such a tiny SUP. No small feat.
