Kneisl

Ana Kneisl
English 112-07
June 20, 2016
Intawiwat
Annotated Bibliography

Chasing Mavericks. Dir. Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted. Perf. Gerald Butler and Jonny Weston.
October 26, 2012. Walden Media. Web. 20 June 2016.
The movie, Chasing Mavericks is based on a true story of Jay Moriarity, a local surfer from Santa Cruz,
California. The directors, Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson, told the life of Jay Morarity, his fearlessness
and his drive for adventure. His love for surfing began at a young age and from there his pasion grew with
each passing year.
Jay Moriarity's life wasnt paradise. His father left when he was a young boy. His mom became an
alcoholic shortly after. Surfing was Jays escape; its how he forgot about his mom, his dad and
everything else that brought him down in his life. The movie opens with Jay as a young boy perched on
the rocks watching the waves and timing the swells. He watched the waves and sought out the best in the
set. Early on Jays heart belonged to the ocean. He felt its draw and craved the thrill of riding the biggest
waves. Jay surfed the waves of Santa Cruz everyday but his dream was to surf the Mavericks at half
Moon Bay just a short distance from his home. Jay was attracted to the thirty-foot mythical waves known
to occur there during El Nio tides that only came around once a decade. When he turned fifteen he
sought out a local legend, surfer Frosty Hesson, to help him train him to ride and survive the legendary
Mavericks. Jay was on a journey of self-discovery and Hesson was going to help him get there. The bond
between Hesson and Jay grew stronger and stronger. Hesson was a teacher, friend and mentor to Jay and
by the end of the movie their friendship had become unbreakable. But Hesson knew the dangers that Jay
faced and became more and more concerned about the risks and chances that Jay took over and over
again. Jay knew the risks and respected all the unknowns that lay out there in the dangerous waters. The
search and conquering of the Mavericks was his dream, his piece of nirvana and whatever it took to find
and ride it, he would. That was his journey, finding the Mavericks and in doing so, finding himself. The
ocean was his connection to his inner self. He sought it because it was what he wanted to do and he found
it. It was the ultimate adrenaline rush.
This movie relates to my topic because it is the story of a surfer on a journey, a journey of self-discovery.
Moriarity was a surfer who was fearless and searching for the ultimate wave, the one in a million. He
challenged himself and those around him. He was a relentless soul searcher like most true-blue surfers. In
the end he found his great ride and it was a beautiful and dangerous journey that was worth the risk.

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Mozingo, Joe. Surfers Catch Monster Waves Off California. Los Angles Times: A1. Jan 22 2001.
Proquest. Web. 8 June 2016.
Joe Mozingo is a writer for the Los Angles Times. He is a well known descriptive writer that highlights
the main points in every article. In this article he captures a behind the scenes look at the challenges
surfers face. He focuses on the challenges that skilled surfers possess to catch and ride the great waves
southwest of Dana Point. It is not a widely known place to surf and to some it is nothing more than just a
myth. And local surfers would like to keep it that way.
The surfers he profiles in this article are challenged by extreme conditions. Waves can reach fifty feet and
surfers have to venture far out into the rough waters of the ocean with no land in site. The article talks
about the endurance the adavnced surfers have to possess to take on the waves. Often times the surfers
have to be towed by jet skis just to have enough momentum to catch the waves. Its extremely dangerous
and a whole different league of surfers. For those who are unprepared the thrill turns quickly into fear and
danger.
This article relates to my topic because it deals with what surfers have to mentally and physically go
through to catch the great ride. This was the story of an elite group of surfers whose journey took them off
the grid into dangerous waters that many would not have the skills to survive.

Foxhall, Emily, Matt Stevens and Christopher Goffard. "RIDING HIGH; Across the Southland, Surfers
Race to Catch the Massive Waves Sparked by Hurricane Marie." Los Angeles TimesAug 28 2014.
ProQuest. Web. 27 June 2016 .

This article is from the Los Angles Times. The editor for this article interviewed surfers for a massive
wave chase that were sparked by hurricane Marie in 2014.
The article decribes what a lot of surfers feel as they step out into unknown and unproected waters. A
surfer interviewed in the article described it as being at the mercy of Mother Nature chasing her waves.
One surfer, Lucas 26, from Huntington Beach, made the point; You quickly realize you could be dead in
a second if you don't know what you're doing." In the article I find it true that for most surfers if they hear
that the swell of the decade is right out there at their front door, a second later theyll drop everything they
are doing and head to the water. Like Bo Bridges, 40, of Hermosa Beach, who said that he had cut an outof-state family vacation short for what he called the "all-time" best waves in Malibu. "I would never do
that for anything else," he said. "I just get so excited about the waves. It's so hard to comprehend if you
don't surf. This is as good as it gets."
This article is a great primary source for my topic because it truly describes what every surfer feels who
seeks the great waves. They will drop everything just to go out and be in the water to surf those massive
waves. When a surfer hears of the big one, the once in a life-time wave, theyll move heaven and earth
to get to it and take it because its a once in a lifetime shot. If they dont and they miss it, it will never
leave their mind, it will always haunt them.

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Perry, Michael. "Waves of Fear Surfers Who Ride Gigantic Waves are Not Macho but just Like Little
Excited Kids." Townsville Bulletin: 44. Sep 23 2006. ProQuest. Web. 28 June 2016 .

This article was written by Michael Perry and was published in the Townsville Bulletin in Australia. This
article is addresses a unique group of fear surfers who seek out giant waves as high as 7 stories. This
article is about tow-in surfing where the surfers are towed out to these high-rise waves and then
basically thrown into the waves and expected to ride them without getting themselves killed.
The article talks about what goes through these fear surfers minds and how they prepare mentally for
these dangerous rides. Waves are nicknamed with scary names like Cyclops, Jaws and Dungeons.
Australian surfer Alex Cater, 25, in this article stated, "If you don't have a bit of fear then you shouldn't be
out there. Surfers seek the ultimate thrill, the adrenaline rush and they will do anything to find it, no
matter how extreme or over the top the challenge. In the article they reference this as the new life and
death playground for a unique breed of surfers. The article discusses how satellites are used to track
storms and forecast when a giant swell will hit a reef. This advancement in surf forecasting has fuelled
extreme big wave surfing.
The article also states that, The guys that take it on in big surf have the attitude of little kids. Even
though it is a common stereotype that surfers are just kids who never grow up, it is not unique to just
fear surfing. Surfers get excited by the ocean and the ride and in doing that seem to connect to their
inner child as they take on the waves. They dont worry about anything because when the wave and the
thrill are there, there is nothing else. Its a true connection all surfers feel to the ocean.

This article relates to my topic by providing more detail of the unique waves and the unique surfers that
ride them. This article focuses on fear surfing and the use of jet-ski tow-ins to catch the up with the
speed of the great waves. This article drives home the point that surfers arent driven by money to chase
waves, it has nothing to do with it, but it does have everything to do with finding the thrill of the great
ride for themselves. At any expense.

Blackwatersurfer, and Graham Hill. "The Drifter_behind the Scenes_by Ian O." YouTube. YouTube, 24
Nov. 2009. Web. 28 June 2016

This article is a link to a You Tube video. The video is documentary of a well-known surfer, Rob
Machado. He is being interviewed by Graham Hill upon Machados film, The Drifter on his adventure
and experience of his six months in Indonesia. This was his journey, to go out and find and to reconnect to
himself. To obtain a better understanding of what surfing meant to him.

Kneisl

Rob Machado describes himself as a free minded and simple minamalist. He doesnt try to
overcomplicate anything when it comes to surfing. Hill asks him questions about his surf trip and
Machado describes it to him very openly. He has an honest upfront personality during the interview. He
talks in the video about the basic necessities that he could not take on his trip but at the end of the day
didnt matter because they never crossed his mind once he got there. He also talks about being an in the
moment person and said being in the water, thats where you actually remove yourself, thats like the
most serine place, and to be able to get away and reconnceting with what you love to do. When he was
finally able to find the time to go to Indonesia and surf the waves that were roumoured to be exciting, he
was forever changed by the experience. Indonesia was where he minamalized himself for six months and
came back with a bigger understanding of what surfing means to him. Even though he surfs and makes a
reasonable living doing it, he would surf regardless because it is his passion and a big part of who he is.
He makes it by as a living but he does it because either way at the end of the day its what he wants to do.
He would still find that oppourtunity to grab his surfboard and drag it out into the water and ride the
waves.
This video is related to my topic and is a great primary source because its an interview with a true surf
legend. Rob Machado is one of my favorite surfers. He represents what is good and pure about surfing
and isnt owned by the celebrity of surfing. He has an untamned spirit to seek out and conquer what
challenges him. He is a great example of a great surfer to use in my essay.