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Laird HamiltonThe first American professional surfer
Date of Birth: 02.03.1964
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Laird Hamilton: A Legendary Surfer and Waterman
- Surf Career
- Teahupoo Reef Ride
- Big-Wave Surfing Legacy
- Humanitarian and Personal Life
Laird Hamilton: A Legendary Surfer and Waterman
Early Life and FamilyLaird Hamilton was born on March 2, 1964, in San Francisco. As an infant, he moved with his mother, Joanne (née Tsuerek), to Maui, Hawaii. During his teenage years on Oahu, Laird encountered professional surfer Bill Hamilton at the North Shore. Bill Hamilton shaped and designed surfboards, owning a small custom high-performance surfboard business. The two became friends and bonded over their shared passions. Young Laird introduced Bill to his mother, and Bill soon married Joanne, becoming Laird's stepfather. The family later moved to a secluded valley on Kauai. Joanne and Bill had a second son, Lyon, Laird's half-brother, who also became a surfer. Laird's mother tragically died of a brain aneurysm in 1997.
Surf Career
Hamilton became a proficient surfer by the age of 17. In 1987, he starred in the film "North Shore," playing an antagonistic role. He gained media recognition as the first surfer to complete a 360-degree loop while towed into a wave. Hamilton also served as a stunt double for Kevin Costner in the 1995 film "Waterworld."
In the late 1990s, Hamilton expanded his pursuits into windsurfing, waterskiing, and kitesurfing. In 1996, Hamilton and Manu Bertin played a significant role in demonstrating and popularizing kitesurfing off Maui's North Shore. In 1999, Hamilton windsurfed between the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai, covering approximately fifty miles in just over six hours.
Hamilton also experimented with the foilboard, an innovative surfboard that incorporates boat-building technology to provide greater aerial maneuverability and efficiency on the water. He became an advocate for paddleboarding, an ancient Hawaiian method that requires a longboard and a long-handled paddle, demanding skill, strength, and agility.
Teahupoo Reef Ride
Hamilton's wipeout at Tahiti's Teahupoo reef break on the morning of August 17, 2000, became etched in surfing lore. Teahupoo is a particularly dangerous shallow reef located off the southeastern coast of the Pacific island of Tahiti. On that day, with larger-than-usual ocean swells, Derrick Doerner piloted a jet ski towing Hamilton. Dropping in and releasing the rope, Hamilton rode into a massive barreling wave in full view of photographers and videographers' cameras. Recounting the event in the surf documentary "Riding Giants," Doerner said, "I towed him into this wave. And it got to the point where I almost said, 'Don't let go of the rope,' and by the time I looked back, he was gone."
Big-Wave Surfing Legacy
Hamilton is widely considered one of the greatest big-wave surfers of all time. Surfers regularly surf waves over 35 feet (11 meters) high and traveling at speeds exceeding 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour, and Hamilton has successfully surfed waves as high as 70 feet (21 meters), with speeds approaching 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). Hamilton favors tow-in surfing at the infamous Peahi reef, known to surfers as "Jaws," on Maui's north-central coast.
Humanitarian and Personal Life
In February 2008, Hamilton joined the Board of Directors for H2O Audio, a San Diego, California-based water sports equipment company. Hamilton is also an environmental activist. He joined protests in Malibu against the construction of a proposed desalination plant that could potentially impact the local water quality. The protests also included celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, and Ted Danson.
Hamilton has a daughter, Isabella, with his first wife, big-wave surfer and clothing designer Maria Souza. In his second marriage, Hamilton and his wife, Gabrielle Reece, have two children: daughter Reece Viola Hamilton (born October 2003) and Brody Joe Hamilton (born January 1, 2008).
