A biography for Garrett McNamarahasn’t been written yet.
“I can be sittin' at home in Hawaii and see the biggest swell of the year coming here and be so happy and just say, 'No, I'm happy right here.'”
“If you have the ocean and you have your board, nothing matters.”
“Fear is when we're thinking about the past or thinking about the future, two things that do not exist. If we stay in the moment, do our best in the moment, enjoy the moment, there is no fear.”
“Usually, I lead with my heart and feel my way through.”
“In yoga, you need to focus on staying in the moment in a sometimes uncomfortably hot room. That focus and alertness help when I'm riding waves.”
“In other sports, you get to breathe if you make a mistake.”
“And, you know, I think all of us surfers, our happy place, the place we like more than anywhere on the wave is in the barrel.”
“Nazare is a special place for me; we got married right there, at the lighthouse. The seafood and wine are amazing. Best of all, there are no sharks: they are much more scary than a big wave.”
“In the beginning of my career, I loved the fear because if I was afraid, then I was going to get the rush. Your endorphins get released when you're afraid. So whenever I would surf, I would be looking for the rush.”
“I love getting pounded. It makes me feel more alive.”
“If you have fear then it means you are not living in the moment.”
“When I took off on nearly vertical waves that no one else would touch, people assumed I had no fear. When they watched me suffer epic wipeouts then come up smiling, it was decided I had a screw loose.”
“When I was five-years-old I was jumping off two-story buildings.”
“I love working out to Eminem.”
“I've got a really amazing ability to forget and disregard information that comes in my brain.”
“To ride big waves you have to be ready mentally, physically and spiritually.”
“The surfers' code is that you surf your wave and let the world discuss it as you move on to the next one.”
“You won't catch me riding a horse, because I'm afraid of them.”
“When you put a lot into something, the triumphs are so overwhelming with joy.”
“When you're underwater getting pounded, you are at the mercy of the ocean.”