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We Are Not Surfers

2021 Culture

Garrett McNamara and his team return to Nazaré for another season of surfing. The team struggles through a number of accidents and challenges but eventually develop a set of safety procedures that enable them to surf Nazare's wave with less chance of injury or death. The struggles pay off when McNamara catches a nearly 80 foot tall wave that catapults him to international fame and makes him the holder of the world record for largest wave surfed.

Series: 100 Foot Wave

Mavericks

2021 Culture

After losing his drive to continue surfing at Nazaré, Garrett McNamara decides to return to competitive surfing at other big-wave sites. In order to compete in a tournament at California's Mavericks surf site, he must surf there regularly, something that he has done many times in the past. McNamara returns to Mavericks only to suffer a horrific injury on a wave he should have aced.

Series: 100 Foot Wave

First Steps to Mars

2021 Technology

In this series, we will explore how we can survive Mars. Our species will need to evolve how we eat, drink, and build our homes. In the first episode, humans seem to be on the cusp of reaching Mars, but how did we get to this point? Our journey to our neighboring planet traces a path connecting Nikola Tesla, Nazi weapons of war, a Cold War space race, and a string of blockbuster discoveries made by some of NASA’s most talented robots.

Series: Becoming Martian

Dancing With God

2021 Culture

Garrett McNamara recovers from the injuries he sustained at Mavericks and begins training to return to Nazaré for another season. While surfing at Indonesia's G-Land site, Garrett suffers more injuries that threaten to take him off the waves permanently. Meanwhile, a friend of Garretts catches an 80-foot wave at Nazaré, taking the world record from McNamara. McNamara resolves to continue his hunt for a 100-foot wave.

Series: 100 Foot Wave

Surviving Mars

2021 Technology

To survive Mars, our species will need to evolve how we eat, drink, and build our homes. Will we need our genes to evolve as well? Sometime in the future humans will leave Earth to colonize Mars, and in doing so will begin to adapt to life on another planet in surprising ways. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Solomon foresees a series of changes to our species from the size of our hearts and heads to the pigments in our skin.

Series: Becoming Martian

The Circus

2021 Culture

As dozens of top surfers from across the world arrive in Nazaré to train and prepare for a major big-wave competition, Garret McNamara continues to struggle with his physical injuries and mental preparedness. He knows he is not ready to surf in the competition but seeing the other surfers makes him consider competing anyway. Garrett also has misgivings about the state of safety plans at the competition, and tries to convince the organizers to beef up their plans.

Series: 100 Foot Wave