Laird Hamilton, entrepreneur and surfer who takes pleasure in helping others

“My passion for surfing comes from my creativity, from my desire to accept challenges, as well as from my adventurous spirit and try something different all the time. Every wave of surfing is different, like every performance, like every moment. You don’t know it until you live it. I love the feeling of adrenaline In my veins “confess Laird Hamilton, whom we met in Malibu, stopped between wave and wave. He lives with his family, wife and two daughters between here and Maui in Hawaii, and also travels a lot around the world. She is a legend in the world of surfing, especially in those big waves, given that she was one of the first to surf these waves, as if inventing ways to do so, some of them even rely on high technology. He is considered a great innovator, as well as one of the greatest surfing, subordinate stand up paddleDelhydrofoil. He is also interviewed on Hbo’s new six-episode TV series, which pays homage to the surfing legend and its heroes: 100 feet wave. The documentary series chronicles the surfing journey of another pioneer, Garrett McNamara. In this interview, Laird talks about the sport and his new adventures. Laird is actually a surfer, inventor, producer, TV host, actor, and fitness and nutrition expert.

How did you get into surfing?

I was born in San Francisco, learned to swim well at the age of seven, and I’ve always loved the ocean. I was then lucky enough to have grown up with surfer Billy Hamilton, who adopted me. I was the one who introduced him to my mother and they fell in love and got married. We became friends because I watched him surfing on the beach as a kid. She worked for a while as a builder and even as a model (he even posed for a photo with Brooke Shields, editor), but this was not universal. I have always loved sports not for competition, but for the pleasure and enjoyment of doing it. I wasn’t interested in the competition, because I have a more holistic view. I wanted to inspire others to live better and become better people through sports. For me, surfing has always been an art form and not a competition for an award or a vote.

Who has inspired you the most in your career?

She was my first mother, because she was so good at boosting my imagination. He used to read to me when I was a kid and then pushed me to read a lot of books and novels when I was growing up. I am convinced that this stimulated my innovative spirit.

It also made it big in Hollywood. He has also acted or acted as a stuntman in many films and documentaries, including Radical positionAnd wake cryAnd Step into the liquidAnd Giants ride, for which he was also executive producer, the deceased, con George Clooney e Shailene Woodley, water world, with Kevin Costner, James Bond movie Die another day, with Pierce Brosnan, E Breaking pointWith Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Director Rory Kennedy, the last daughter of Robert Kennedy’s eleven children, dedicated a documentary to her, Laird Hamilton’s lifeIt was presented at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

I was never interested in fame. I value a person for what they are, not for what they do. But I had a lot of fun participating in these projects, they were all very interesting experiences, which also gave me new ideas.

He has written many books, including the New York Times bestseller The power of nature: mind, body, spirit, and of course surfing, in 2008, and Liferider: Heart, Body, Spirit, and Life Beyond the Ocean, in 2019. He also collaborates with Men’s Journal, where he writes about sports, wellness and nutrition.

I enjoy writing, it’s part of my research and getting deeper into the topics I believe in. And yes, I am very active in the field of nutrition, because diet is essential for an athlete. This is why I invented my own line of nutritional products. My brand is called Superfood (I also recently introduced a new coffee, Boost Coffee, which has vitamin D among its ingredients)., editorWe intend to expand more and more in the future.

In partnership with his wife, professional volleyball player, actress and model Grabrielle Reece, he created a new fitness training called Extreme Performance Training (XPT).

It is a powerful training and lifestyle program focused on improvement through the use of water. It includes exercises in and under water, with the use of waves, performing correct breathing, to increase oxygen levels and mental balance, energy recovery methods, a high intensity program and results for people of all levels and backgrounds. We even use an ancient Polynesian practice where swimmers would walk the ocean floor carrying a stone. I recommend exercising in the fresh air as often as possible, as it increases psychological balance.

That’s why he’s also devised new ways to surf, so what about exercising?

I have always made, first of all, tools for myself, based on my experience as an athlete. It started with surfing, I’m a co-inventor of surfing for big waves, kitesurfing, water skiing, and windsurfing, which to me were a sacred ritual, an ancient Hawaiian practice. Then she invented the Foilboard, a surfboard that incorporates hydrofoil technology and offers greater performance and precision than aerodynamic techniques in the water. I then moved on to other sports, such as golf: I found it boring to move around in vehicles or on foot and invented golf boards to move quickly. I’ve also made a golf board for sand dunes by the sea or on dirt roads: it’s a new technology, not all about sanding. I am always working on new inventions…

She even launched a fashion line. Did you definitely make him think about sports?

For my clothing brand, I wanted to focus first and foremost on authenticity and certainly on practicality. I can assure you that I have tried everything on my skin and that is a guarantee indeed.

She is also a very active philanthropist, with nonprofits such as City of Hope, Surfrider Foundation, Race Accross America, Pipeline for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Rain Catcher, and Muscular Dystrophy.

My job has always been to help others. This gives me more happiness and I believe it is a duty to contribute to one’s society and support those who are less than us or who have serious problems. It’s my ethic and it’s so strong that even all of the sponsors I work with or collaborate with should have my values.

What is your judgment as an entrepreneur?

Knowing how to seize the opportunity and good ideas that come your way, but also knowing how to wait for the right moment.

What have you learned from surfing the internet all these years as a philosophy of life?

Respect the environment in the first place. The ocean is a great teacher to find all the answers you are looking for. It helps to understand how important the air, the direction of the wind, the water, all the creatures that live in it and live with it, and nature in general. It helps to relate to life, because when you are surfing you feel more secure and able to take on any challenge. Moreover, from a physical point of view, you can swim and row with your hands with advantages for the vascular system and heart, as well as for the muscles.

What places would you recommend to people who want to surf?

Surfing takes place in great places that are worth a visit anyway. Among my favorites are Tahiti, with Theahupo’o, Australia with, in particular, Tasmania, Fiji, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, the Basque Country of Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and of course California and Hawaii, where I also live.