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The Inertia

Editor’s Note: A few weeks ago, we visited New Zealand for The Ultimate Waterman competition and got to know some of the world’s most accomplished ocean enthusiasts better while traveling around the nation’s coasts. We’ll be releasing a video profile each week for the next three weeks on a handful of those inspiring individuals. Last week was freediver Ant Williams. Today, we continue with Laird Hamilton. We hope you enjoy. This feature has been made possible through the generous support of The Ultimate WatermanTourism NZ, and Auckland Tourism, Events, and Economic Development.


Laird Hamilton’s not much for competing. At least in the formal sense of the word. The one that requires jerseys and scores and heats and judges and attention to “style, flow, and variety of maneuvers.” Those who have followed Laird’s superhuman feats over the years are well aware of his aversion to the competitive spotlight. Laird never won a World Title. Instead, he once told me that his Teahupoo cover of Surfer Magazine from 2000 with the caption that read, “Oh My God,” was his world title.

That is, until now.

Now, there’s a contest that’s won his stamp of approval.

The Ultimate Waterman, which began in 2015, is an invite-only competition that brings an elite cast of watermen to New Zealand to navigate a hellish marathon of aquatic challenges – ranging from a 15-kilometer standup paddle to an underwater strength run to a more straightforward shortboard contest. The idea, of course, is to crown an oceanic king.

This makes Laird happy.

Which is understandable. For quite some time, we’ve watched (and glorified) only a narrow sliver of the surf and ocean lifestyle. High performance shortboarding. It’s sexy. No doubt about it. But there’s a whole ocean of possibilities out there. And watching these fellas compete at an elite level across a wide array of disciplines makes the myriad ways to enjoy the ocean abundantly apparent.

While Laird won’t be sporting a jersey to officially claim his first world title any time soon, you can bet the Laird’s of the future are frothing. They’ve got a World Title to win.

 
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