1
00:00:06,043 --> 00:00:08,668
["Lacrimosa" by Zbigniew Preisner playing]

2
00:00:12,251 --> 00:00:13,709
[Carol] Endless rays.

3
00:00:14,584 --> 00:00:16,168
Endless waves.

4
00:00:19,709 --> 00:00:23,376
I forget who I was
before I first got up on my board.

5
00:00:24,626 --> 00:00:27,459
That person washed away in the tide.

6
00:00:30,084 --> 00:00:33,293
When you're out on the surf,
you're a blank slate,

7
00:00:34,084 --> 00:00:37,334
free to let the waves carry you
into what's next.

8
00:00:38,001 --> 00:00:39,918
Free to be your perfect self.

9
00:00:42,168 --> 00:00:44,334
To find that perfect wave.

10
00:00:45,876 --> 00:00:49,418
Enveloped by the waters, held by them.

11
00:00:49,501 --> 00:00:50,876
That's home to me.

12
00:00:51,668 --> 00:00:54,293
When you come out
the other side of a break,

13
00:00:54,376 --> 00:00:55,959
you're a whole new person.

14
00:00:56,793 --> 00:00:58,251
You're a whole new you.

15
00:00:58,334 --> 00:00:59,918
[wave whooshing]

16
00:01:03,001 --> 00:01:04,293
[music fades]

17
00:01:04,376 --> 00:01:06,959
[Carol] Coconuts seem sweeter in the sun.

18
00:01:09,709 --> 00:01:10,626
Mahalo.

19
00:01:10,709 --> 00:01:13,876
["Don't Leave Me on the Earth"
by La Luz playing]

20
00:01:22,918 --> 00:01:25,084
[gulls squawking]

21
00:01:49,043 --> 00:01:50,918
[waves crashing]

22
00:01:53,543 --> 00:01:57,501
[Carol] Humans have been surfing Kapali
since the Middle Ages.

23
00:01:59,209 --> 00:02:02,709
Baba Lou Anne, Dottie, CP and I
rode in last week.

24
00:02:04,168 --> 00:02:08,501
In Kapali, the waves
are as big as our personalities.

25
00:02:09,251 --> 00:02:13,293
The exposed reef gives it
that consistent, clean point break.

26
00:02:16,168 --> 00:02:17,418
Real nice.

27
00:02:19,043 --> 00:02:21,251
Some consider surfing a sport,

28
00:02:21,334 --> 00:02:24,876
but the way Baba Lou Anne moves out there,
it's closer to art.

29
00:02:25,543 --> 00:02:28,126
She's really a fantastic surfer.

30
00:02:28,209 --> 00:02:31,793
She can ride with either foot forward.
Goofy and regular.

31
00:02:31,876 --> 00:02:34,168
Few surfers can do that.

32
00:02:34,251 --> 00:02:38,043
Fewer still can do it right in the middle
of a pull-out in midair.

33
00:02:38,126 --> 00:02:41,084
Ladies and gentlemen, Baba Lou Anne.

34
00:02:46,959 --> 00:02:51,251
Dottie hasn't been surfing long,
but she really has a ball.

35
00:02:51,334 --> 00:02:53,334
She's also recently divorced.

36
00:02:53,418 --> 00:02:55,001
After coming home from work

37
00:02:55,084 --> 00:02:58,918
and finding her husband
in bed with a dental hygienist,

38
00:02:59,001 --> 00:03:00,959
she now makes the sea her lover.

39
00:03:01,043 --> 00:03:05,501
Riding waves with reckless abandon
on a board nicknamed "Suzie."

40
00:03:06,668 --> 00:03:09,084
Say hello to the cameras, Dottie.

41
00:03:11,043 --> 00:03:16,376
CP, short for Corinthia Panatopoulos,
is an excellent surfer.

42
00:03:16,459 --> 00:03:19,584
She's blind in one eye,
no depth perception,

43
00:03:19,668 --> 00:03:22,084
but that doesn't seem to slow her down.

44
00:03:22,168 --> 00:03:25,418
You don't need two eyes
to see how good she is.

45
00:03:25,501 --> 00:03:27,001
Look at her go.

46
00:03:27,751 --> 00:03:31,084
When she's not on her board
taming wicked waves,

47
00:03:31,168 --> 00:03:32,918
CP is writing a book,

48
00:03:34,043 --> 00:03:39,959
an adventure novel about four lady surfers
who solve mysteries in their spare time.

49
00:03:40,709 --> 00:03:44,668
Not sure when she'll finish it,
but I like how one starts.

50
00:03:44,751 --> 00:03:49,376
Opera singer found in the shallows
with a throwing star in her back.

51
00:03:49,459 --> 00:03:51,751
Good beach read, that's for sure.

52
00:03:53,793 --> 00:03:56,834
We gather here at the shores of Kapali,

53
00:03:56,918 --> 00:04:01,126
20 kilometers from
the strawberry-shaped islands of Kono

54
00:04:01,209 --> 00:04:03,501
for a week of sun and fun.

55
00:04:03,584 --> 00:04:07,584
Afterward, we plan to break off
and head our own separate ways.

56
00:04:08,251 --> 00:04:11,459
Baba Lou Anne is heading out to Seattle.

57
00:04:11,543 --> 00:04:14,668
Not to surf the choppy waves
of Alki Point,

58
00:04:14,751 --> 00:04:17,168
but to base jump off the Space Needle.

59
00:04:18,668 --> 00:04:21,959
Dottie and her board, Suzie,
are headed to Japan.

60
00:04:22,918 --> 00:04:25,626
CP is leaving to dedicate more time

61
00:04:25,709 --> 00:04:29,001
to cooking up clever twists
for her murder mysteries.

62
00:04:30,126 --> 00:04:34,376
As for me, I'm gonna chase
that sun around the world,

63
00:04:34,876 --> 00:04:38,959
in search of the biggest waves,
the friendliest people,

64
00:04:39,876 --> 00:04:43,293
all the while discovering myself
along the way,

65
00:04:44,126 --> 00:04:47,293
as I jump into the waters surfboard-first.

66
00:04:48,001 --> 00:04:49,376
All heart and soul,

67
00:04:50,084 --> 00:04:53,084
just my board and a heavy coat of wax.

68
00:04:57,459 --> 00:04:58,626
Righteous.

69
00:05:02,793 --> 00:05:04,918
-[song fades]
-[lively reggae music playing]

70
00:05:05,001 --> 00:05:08,376
[Carol] Packing for this kind of journey
is extremely important.

71
00:05:08,459 --> 00:05:11,376
You need to stay smart
and pack with a purpose.

72
00:05:11,459 --> 00:05:15,043
And for me, that means surfboard wax,

73
00:05:15,126 --> 00:05:18,126
bathing suit, one chrysanthemum,

74
00:05:18,209 --> 00:05:21,959
three towels,
my lucky puka shell necklace,

75
00:05:22,043 --> 00:05:24,793
sunscreen, SPF 150,

76
00:05:24,876 --> 00:05:29,251
two disposable cameras,
an English-to-Maori phrasebook,

77
00:05:29,334 --> 00:05:33,709
trashy beach read,
The Swells of Love by Alice T. Townsend,

78
00:05:33,793 --> 00:05:37,168
photograph of surf legend
Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman,

79
00:05:37,251 --> 00:05:39,626
incense sticks, seven,

80
00:05:39,709 --> 00:05:41,876
flare gun, sunglasses,

81
00:05:41,959 --> 00:05:44,793
mysterious totem, machete.

82
00:05:46,043 --> 00:05:50,918
And the willingness to chuck it all away
and accept where life takes you.

83
00:05:52,918 --> 00:05:56,459
[woman] I'm sorry, ma'am.
Your suitcase appears to be in London.

84
00:05:56,543 --> 00:05:58,251
[music fades]

85
00:05:58,334 --> 00:06:01,001
[up-tempo jazz playing]

86
00:06:01,084 --> 00:06:03,876
[plane engine roaring]

87
00:06:05,543 --> 00:06:09,251
[Carol] There's nothing like a cool breeze
after a three-hour flight.

88
00:06:09,334 --> 00:06:14,001
None cooler than from
the pristine waters of the Sea of Cortez.

89
00:06:14,084 --> 00:06:18,584
I start my search for the perfect wave
here at Cabo San Lucas.

90
00:06:19,709 --> 00:06:24,168
Once a sleepy town
visited only by nomad surfers,

91
00:06:24,251 --> 00:06:28,751
Cabo San Lucas has become
a must-see tourist destination.

92
00:06:28,834 --> 00:06:30,834
[inaudible]

93
00:06:30,918 --> 00:06:33,168
[Carol] Known for its wild nightlife,

94
00:06:33,251 --> 00:06:36,084
tourists now come to party
at Señor Chi-Chi's

95
00:06:36,168 --> 00:06:39,334
or The Drunken Mermaid,
just to name a few.

96
00:06:39,418 --> 00:06:42,293
But I'm not here
for the giant fishbowl margaritas

97
00:06:42,376 --> 00:06:44,376
or the wet T-shirt contests.

98
00:06:44,459 --> 00:06:47,418
-I came here for the surf.
-[surfers cheering]

99
00:06:52,834 --> 00:06:53,876
[Carol] Groovy.

100
00:06:56,001 --> 00:06:59,334
-So many lost spring-breakers…
-["Lacrimosa" playing]

101
00:06:59,418 --> 00:07:03,543
A whole generation of teens
who never found their way back home.

102
00:07:04,209 --> 00:07:08,209
Intoxicated revelers
refusing to ever grow up.

103
00:07:09,334 --> 00:07:12,626
All dancing along the sandy shores,

104
00:07:12,709 --> 00:07:16,084
drinking up the waters
from this mythical fountain.

105
00:07:16,168 --> 00:07:20,543
Water with the power to rejuvenate
and keep them young forever.

106
00:07:22,084 --> 00:07:24,543
When you're out here in the ocean,

107
00:07:24,626 --> 00:07:27,334
you're always
in the shallows of your youth.

108
00:07:28,668 --> 00:07:30,501
Endless rays.

109
00:07:30,584 --> 00:07:32,668
Endless waves.

110
00:07:32,751 --> 00:07:35,543
-Endless adolescence.
-Chug! Chug! Chug!

111
00:07:35,626 --> 00:07:40,001
[Carol] Overall, Cabo San Lucas
had some great surf.

112
00:07:40,084 --> 00:07:43,543
But if I was going to find
the perfect wave,

113
00:07:43,626 --> 00:07:48,793
I needed to look harder and travel
to spots untouched by tourists.

114
00:07:48,876 --> 00:07:52,376
Hey cutie. Once you're done here,
how about joining us for a drink?

115
00:07:53,918 --> 00:07:55,376
Maybe next time.

116
00:07:57,584 --> 00:07:58,668
Real smooth.

117
00:07:58,751 --> 00:08:01,084
Shut up. I didn't hear you say anything.

118
00:08:01,168 --> 00:08:05,793
["You Let Me Rust"
by Shannon & The Clams playing]

119
00:08:29,168 --> 00:08:30,168
[shutter clicks]

120
00:08:43,376 --> 00:08:44,376
[music fades]

121
00:08:44,459 --> 00:08:47,876
[Carol] My search
for the perfect wave continues here.

122
00:08:47,959 --> 00:08:51,376
-The mecca of the surf world, Mavericks.
-[soft string music playing]

123
00:08:51,459 --> 00:08:54,543
With waves topping out at over 60 feet,

124
00:08:54,626 --> 00:08:58,084
it's become a proving ground
for every big-wave surfer.

125
00:08:58,751 --> 00:09:03,084
So before I even paddled out,
I knew I had to prepare.

126
00:09:03,168 --> 00:09:05,959
I meditated four times a day,

127
00:09:06,043 --> 00:09:07,543
two more than my usual.

128
00:09:07,626 --> 00:09:10,876
[howling]

129
00:09:10,959 --> 00:09:15,834
[Carol] I imagine myself a wolf,
the waves a baby deer.

130
00:09:17,168 --> 00:09:21,918
I imagine myself a bear,
the waves passing salmon.

131
00:09:22,876 --> 00:09:25,001
And I was watching it.

132
00:09:25,084 --> 00:09:29,334
From the shore,
the cliffs, in the middle of the night.

133
00:09:29,418 --> 00:09:34,084
Always watching it,
devouring it, learning from it.

134
00:09:35,251 --> 00:09:40,793
[howling]

135
00:09:40,876 --> 00:09:42,834
[Carol] Before I knew it, I was ready.

136
00:09:42,918 --> 00:09:44,959
[string music intensifies]

137
00:09:45,043 --> 00:09:48,959
[Carol] I chose to surf the monster
with my old friend Nadia.

138
00:09:49,793 --> 00:09:52,376
She used to be a nurse in Sarajevo,

139
00:09:52,459 --> 00:09:54,584
then a nun in Cappadocia.

140
00:09:56,334 --> 00:09:58,584
Now she rode giants.

141
00:09:59,168 --> 00:10:02,043
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

142
00:10:02,126 --> 00:10:05,459
Waves like these remind you
of how small you really are.

143
00:10:06,126 --> 00:10:08,376
Just a speck of sand in the ocean.

144
00:10:08,459 --> 00:10:11,459
A grain of rice in God's loving palm.

145
00:10:12,168 --> 00:10:18,876
I finally wrangle a 50-footer and prepare
to ascend to whatever plane Nadia's on.

146
00:10:18,959 --> 00:10:23,001
It's an amazing feeling, riding that wave.

147
00:10:23,751 --> 00:10:25,626
It's pure power.

148
00:10:25,709 --> 00:10:27,293
Pure strength.

149
00:10:28,293 --> 00:10:30,751
For a moment, I think I've found it,

150
00:10:30,834 --> 00:10:33,043
the wave I've been looking for.

151
00:10:33,126 --> 00:10:35,084
[music swells]

152
00:10:35,168 --> 00:10:36,751
But when it's over,

153
00:10:37,376 --> 00:10:38,876
I know I haven't.

154
00:10:39,543 --> 00:10:43,293
This is Nadia's perfect wave, not mine.

155
00:10:45,834 --> 00:10:46,918
[music fades]

156
00:10:47,584 --> 00:10:49,543
The search continues.

157
00:10:49,626 --> 00:10:51,293
[romantic piano music playing]

158
00:10:51,376 --> 00:10:54,668
[plane engine roaring]

159
00:10:56,876 --> 00:11:00,668
[Carol] In Tuscany,
I decide to skip the waves altogether.

160
00:11:02,293 --> 00:11:04,751
No, I was here for a different reason.

161
00:11:06,876 --> 00:11:08,626
To visit an old flame.

162
00:11:10,543 --> 00:11:12,918
Angelo Alfolini.

163
00:11:14,876 --> 00:11:19,209
It was immediately clear that time apart
had not lessened our bond.

164
00:11:20,334 --> 00:11:25,459
We roamed the countryside
discussing politics, talking philosophy,

165
00:11:25,543 --> 00:11:29,751
and debating various topics
ranging from love, life,

166
00:11:29,834 --> 00:11:32,709
and our observations on Italian cinema.

167
00:11:33,918 --> 00:11:36,084
We spoke concerning wine

168
00:11:36,168 --> 00:11:40,626
and the merits of grapes
squeezed in old wooden barrels.

169
00:11:40,709 --> 00:11:43,751
Made rigatoni and fresh mozzarella,

170
00:11:43,834 --> 00:11:47,626
and dined on the finest risotto
I've ever tasted.

171
00:11:49,834 --> 00:11:52,418
But as quickly as my visit had begun,

172
00:11:54,126 --> 00:11:55,168
it was over.

173
00:11:58,834 --> 00:12:01,209
The sun had risen, and I was off,

174
00:12:01,293 --> 00:12:03,418
setting out back on my journey

175
00:12:03,501 --> 00:12:05,751
in search of the perfect wave.

176
00:12:08,543 --> 00:12:10,709
Arrivederci, my love.

177
00:12:11,834 --> 00:12:14,251
[wind howling]

178
00:12:15,918 --> 00:12:17,751
[melancholy orchestral music playing]

179
00:12:17,834 --> 00:12:21,918
[Carol] In Lake Michigan, we urinated
in our wetsuits to keep warm.

180
00:12:24,626 --> 00:12:27,793
Meanwhile, in Thailand,
the waves were short-lived.

181
00:12:27,876 --> 00:12:31,334
But I did find a souvenir
that would last a lifetime.

182
00:12:31,418 --> 00:12:34,168
[buzzing]

183
00:12:35,001 --> 00:12:36,626
[Carol] All in all, a good week.

184
00:12:39,376 --> 00:12:42,543
[waves lapping]

185
00:12:44,001 --> 00:12:46,709
[Carol] Still, something was off.

186
00:12:49,376 --> 00:12:51,126
I had become lost.

187
00:12:54,126 --> 00:12:58,209
The more I traveled,
the more I could feel it slipping away.

188
00:13:00,376 --> 00:13:02,959
Did the perfect wave even exist?

189
00:13:03,876 --> 00:13:08,584
On the shores of Kilokilo,
I explained my troubles to Auli'i,

190
00:13:08,668 --> 00:13:12,626
a local surfer who believed
the true key to finding the perfect wave

191
00:13:12,709 --> 00:13:15,293
lied in psychotropic substances.

192
00:13:16,084 --> 00:13:18,876
They called it "Gesthaini."

193
00:13:18,959 --> 00:13:22,543
It starts as a flower grown
on the bark of mangroves

194
00:13:22,626 --> 00:13:24,584
that's later ingested by bats,

195
00:13:24,668 --> 00:13:28,001
then excreted and scraped off
the walls of caves

196
00:13:28,084 --> 00:13:30,876
before finally being served in a tea.

197
00:13:32,168 --> 00:13:34,876
Was this the answer I was looking for?

198
00:13:36,251 --> 00:13:40,459
That night, Auli'i led me
down the banks of the Saanapu River

199
00:13:40,543 --> 00:13:43,376
to see an elder known only as "Wailele."

200
00:13:44,293 --> 00:13:47,959
Wailele was believed to be
over 100 years old

201
00:13:48,043 --> 00:13:50,543
and had guided many a wayward traveler.

202
00:13:52,126 --> 00:13:55,834
I was scared, but if this was the way
to find the perfect wave,

203
00:13:55,918 --> 00:13:57,084
so be it.

204
00:13:57,168 --> 00:14:00,543
[dramatic string music playing]

205
00:14:04,501 --> 00:14:06,543
[low rumbling]

206
00:14:10,334 --> 00:14:13,001
[bell ringing]

207
00:14:16,293 --> 00:14:19,418
[sound of whooshing water]

208
00:14:20,834 --> 00:14:22,293
[gulls squawking]

209
00:14:22,376 --> 00:14:24,459
[sound of waves lapping]

210
00:14:26,626 --> 00:14:28,626
[gull squawking]

211
00:14:35,501 --> 00:14:36,751
[thunderclap]

212
00:14:37,834 --> 00:14:39,293
[thunderclap]

213
00:14:40,251 --> 00:14:41,584
[thunderclap]

214
00:14:43,084 --> 00:14:44,293
[thunderclap]

215
00:14:47,543 --> 00:14:48,793
[water whooshing]

216
00:14:55,209 --> 00:14:56,459
[loud booming]

217
00:15:00,168 --> 00:15:01,418
[light claps loudly]

218
00:15:03,584 --> 00:15:05,418
[music intensifies]

219
00:15:12,626 --> 00:15:15,584
[music becomes dissonant]

220
00:15:15,668 --> 00:15:17,751
[music fades]

221
00:15:17,834 --> 00:15:19,334
[Carol] I'd seen them.

222
00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:21,043
The perfect waves.

223
00:15:21,626 --> 00:15:22,668
[somber music plays]

224
00:15:22,751 --> 00:15:27,251
And for the first time,
they felt closer than ever before.

225
00:15:30,126 --> 00:15:32,834
[wind whistling gently]

226
00:15:38,501 --> 00:15:40,251
[plane engine roaring]

227
00:15:40,334 --> 00:15:45,043
[Carol] There are easier ways to get to
the Omani coast on the Arabian Sea.

228
00:15:45,126 --> 00:15:50,876
A number of airports spare travelers
the brutal trek across the Sharqiya Sands.

229
00:15:50,959 --> 00:15:54,251
But it also deprives them
of its desert swells.

230
00:15:54,959 --> 00:15:57,751
A sea of dunes frozen in time.

231
00:16:00,959 --> 00:16:03,584
I couldn't come to Oman
without dropping in.

232
00:16:09,709 --> 00:16:11,793
[wind whistling]

233
00:16:24,793 --> 00:16:26,126
Gnarly set.

234
00:16:26,626 --> 00:16:27,918
[surfboard lands]

235
00:16:35,668 --> 00:16:37,584
[Carol] The tea is good.

236
00:16:37,668 --> 00:16:42,043
Jackson tells me it's Karak Chai,
a local favorite.

237
00:16:42,126 --> 00:16:45,334
I met Jackson in the lineup
at Manhattan Beach.

238
00:16:45,418 --> 00:16:48,876
Back then he was
an even bigger surf bum than me.

239
00:16:48,959 --> 00:16:52,543
Dawn patrol seven days a week,
rain or shine.

240
00:16:52,626 --> 00:16:54,334
Then he gave it all up.

241
00:16:54,418 --> 00:16:58,251
When I ask him why, it's clear
he doesn't want to talk about it.

242
00:16:59,376 --> 00:17:00,376
Fair enough.

243
00:17:01,543 --> 00:17:04,584
For some, the obsession becomes too much.

244
00:17:04,668 --> 00:17:09,126
You can lose yourself in it
until it's all you have left.

245
00:17:10,126 --> 00:17:11,834
Whatever happened to Jackson,

246
00:17:11,918 --> 00:17:16,668
I think he needed to put an entire desert
between himself and the surf.

247
00:17:16,751 --> 00:17:19,418
I guess he's all about weaving now.

248
00:17:19,501 --> 00:17:23,209
When he asks how I'm doing,
I tell him about my vision.

249
00:17:23,293 --> 00:17:27,168
The monster, the fog, the perfect wave.

250
00:17:27,251 --> 00:17:28,668
He just laughs.

251
00:17:28,751 --> 00:17:32,959
I should have known better
than to bring up gospel to an atheist.

252
00:17:33,043 --> 00:17:36,376
After that,
Jackson just sort of slipped away,

253
00:17:36,459 --> 00:17:40,668
lost, sifting through the ashes
of something in his mind.

254
00:17:43,668 --> 00:17:44,959
Bye, Jackson.

255
00:17:45,876 --> 00:17:47,251
Thanks for the rug.

256
00:17:47,334 --> 00:17:48,668
[wind whistling]

257
00:17:51,251 --> 00:17:53,501
[Carol] The next few days were difficult.

258
00:17:54,709 --> 00:17:58,293
I couldn't get the vision
of those perfect waves out of my head.

259
00:17:59,543 --> 00:18:03,501
It crawled inside my being
and it began to affect my sleep.

260
00:18:04,418 --> 00:18:06,459
So I set off for the one place

261
00:18:06,543 --> 00:18:09,543
where I knew I could make
what I had seen a reality.

262
00:18:13,001 --> 00:18:14,626
[plane engine roaring]

263
00:18:14,709 --> 00:18:16,668
[Carol] Located in East Sussex,

264
00:18:16,751 --> 00:18:21,959
this sleepy seaside town isn't exactly
known for being a renowned surf hub.

265
00:18:23,209 --> 00:18:28,293
But when the winds start gusting
and the fog rolls in, that all changes,

266
00:18:29,168 --> 00:18:31,293
transforming this quaint little hamlet

267
00:18:31,376 --> 00:18:34,959
into one of the gnarliest places
to snack on waves.

268
00:18:38,418 --> 00:18:39,459
Far out.

269
00:18:40,209 --> 00:18:41,626
[whistle blowing]

270
00:18:41,709 --> 00:18:44,501
[Carol] When I got here,
there was a fog advisory.

271
00:18:44,584 --> 00:18:47,543
More mist and haze
than they usually allow.

272
00:18:47,626 --> 00:18:50,501
And the lifeguard had begun
to wave everyone in.

273
00:18:51,209 --> 00:18:53,668
Perfect. More waves for me.

274
00:18:54,918 --> 00:18:57,376
It was just like my vision.

275
00:18:57,459 --> 00:19:00,001
No sky, no ocean.

276
00:19:00,084 --> 00:19:01,876
Just me and the fog.

277
00:19:01,959 --> 00:19:03,334
I knew I was close.

278
00:19:04,501 --> 00:19:06,043
Then I heard it.

279
00:19:06,126 --> 00:19:08,751
The rumblings of a building wave.

280
00:19:08,834 --> 00:19:10,543
Was this it?

281
00:19:10,626 --> 00:19:11,459
Was this--

282
00:19:11,543 --> 00:19:13,126
[wave crashing]

283
00:19:16,834 --> 00:19:20,084
[melancholy string music playing]

284
00:19:39,376 --> 00:19:42,001
[string music building]

285
00:19:45,334 --> 00:19:46,584
[jellyfish zapping]

286
00:19:46,668 --> 00:19:48,668
[thunderclap]

287
00:19:48,751 --> 00:19:50,168
[thunder rumbling]

288
00:19:50,251 --> 00:19:51,959
[heartbeat pounding]

289
00:19:52,043 --> 00:19:53,459
[Carol] It was all a blur.

290
00:19:54,501 --> 00:19:57,668
One moment I was living out my vision,
and the next…

291
00:19:57,751 --> 00:19:59,751
[rain pattering]

292
00:19:59,834 --> 00:20:02,084
[soft choral music playing]

293
00:20:02,168 --> 00:20:06,209
[Carol] Days later, I struggled
to come to terms with my failings.

294
00:20:09,043 --> 00:20:12,793
In London, I was reunited
with my misplaced suitcase.

295
00:20:13,543 --> 00:20:16,584
But the items inside now seemed foreign.

296
00:20:16,668 --> 00:20:18,834
The personal effects of a stranger.

297
00:20:19,543 --> 00:20:21,626
Whose chrysanthemum is this?

298
00:20:23,668 --> 00:20:27,168
A stranger who believed
in the perfect wave.

299
00:20:31,793 --> 00:20:36,459
It was on the shores of Peru that
I realized surfing wasn't for me anymore.

300
00:20:38,584 --> 00:20:41,543
Maybe I could learn a trade like Jackson.

301
00:20:41,626 --> 00:20:43,834
Maybe I could make ceramic mugs.

302
00:20:44,668 --> 00:20:46,501
Everyone likes mugs.

303
00:20:47,876 --> 00:20:48,709
Mugs.

304
00:20:48,793 --> 00:20:51,251
The perfect gift for any occasion.

305
00:20:51,751 --> 00:20:54,709
I just knew it was time to move on.

306
00:21:04,584 --> 00:21:08,709
I was just about to head inside
and call it quits when, like a mirage,

307
00:21:08,793 --> 00:21:10,668
a figure appeared.

308
00:21:11,376 --> 00:21:13,376
I knew him from somewhere.

309
00:21:13,459 --> 00:21:16,709
But where? Where did I know him?

310
00:21:17,376 --> 00:21:18,626
Then it hit me.

311
00:21:19,626 --> 00:21:21,626
My lighthouse keeper.

312
00:21:21,709 --> 00:21:23,709
In some sort of gown?

313
00:21:23,793 --> 00:21:26,668
Is that a psychiatric bracelet?

314
00:21:29,168 --> 00:21:33,959
He immediately recognized the desperation
in my eyes and asked what was wrong.

315
00:21:35,293 --> 00:21:37,793
As he lapsed in and out of consciousness,

316
00:21:37,876 --> 00:21:42,084
I told him about my search,
and how I had failed miserably.

317
00:21:42,876 --> 00:21:44,668
He said he knew the way.

318
00:21:45,168 --> 00:21:47,584
Or at least that's what it sounded like.

319
00:21:47,668 --> 00:21:50,668
"I'll show you your perfect waves."

320
00:21:51,793 --> 00:21:55,376
"Thanks," I said.
"But I don't believe in that anymore."

321
00:21:55,459 --> 00:21:58,209
"Single day's journey by lamp oil."

322
00:22:00,126 --> 00:22:02,251
At first I was wary.

323
00:22:02,334 --> 00:22:06,459
He was drunk and the hospital robe
was even less reassuring.

324
00:22:07,334 --> 00:22:10,793
And yet there was something in his eyes
that made me want to trust him.

325
00:22:14,334 --> 00:22:18,251
So I followed him into the heart
of the Peruvian jungle.

326
00:22:19,126 --> 00:22:22,793
There was no trail, no markers, no order.

327
00:22:22,876 --> 00:22:26,251
He was only following
the compass within his mind.

328
00:22:26,334 --> 00:22:29,668
-The jungle was relentlessly fertile.
-[flies buzzing]

329
00:22:29,751 --> 00:22:35,251
It was hot, humid, and full of mosquitoes
and poisonous plants.

330
00:22:35,334 --> 00:22:38,751
The jungle didn't want us there,
and it was fighting us to get out.

331
00:22:38,834 --> 00:22:39,959
[jungle birds singing]

332
00:22:40,043 --> 00:22:41,126
[Carol] What had I done?

333
00:22:41,209 --> 00:22:45,376
Did I really follow a stranger
into this violent obscenity?

334
00:22:45,459 --> 00:22:47,376
Was that a neck tattoo?

335
00:22:47,459 --> 00:22:49,334
Had that always been there?

336
00:22:50,959 --> 00:22:53,584
At one point he turned and said,

337
00:22:53,668 --> 00:22:56,334
"The spirit of the forest is with us now."

338
00:22:57,001 --> 00:22:59,126
I hoped to God he was right.

339
00:23:01,376 --> 00:23:04,543
At night, we took turns
looking out for pumas.

340
00:23:05,834 --> 00:23:07,209
-[animal growls]
-He slept first

341
00:23:07,293 --> 00:23:09,501
and didn't wake up until the next morning.

342
00:23:11,376 --> 00:23:14,959
It wasn't until sometime
in the afternoon when we saw it.

343
00:23:15,459 --> 00:23:18,418
In the ocean of green
was a glimmer of blue.

344
00:23:18,501 --> 00:23:21,001
And like a beacon, we followed it out.

345
00:23:24,168 --> 00:23:27,084
And there they were,
just like he had promised.

346
00:23:27,168 --> 00:23:28,709
The perfect waves.

347
00:23:30,584 --> 00:23:32,876
They were truly beautiful.

348
00:23:32,959 --> 00:23:34,793
A wonder to behold.

349
00:23:35,584 --> 00:23:40,084
I needed to get in,
to experience them as fast as I could.

350
00:23:40,168 --> 00:23:43,209
But, as I drew closer,

351
00:23:43,709 --> 00:23:46,459
I noticed something in the sands.

352
00:23:47,168 --> 00:23:49,168
Was that my surfboard?

353
00:23:49,876 --> 00:23:51,293
But how?

354
00:23:52,168 --> 00:23:55,834
I realized I was standing
exactly where I started,

355
00:23:55,918 --> 00:23:59,209
and yet here it was, perfection.

356
00:23:59,876 --> 00:24:02,793
How can this be? What had changed?

357
00:24:02,876 --> 00:24:07,251
After all, the only thing
that was different was me.

358
00:24:07,334 --> 00:24:09,334
My search had blinded me.

359
00:24:09,418 --> 00:24:13,834
This whole time I was looking
for waves that didn't need to be found.

360
00:24:13,918 --> 00:24:17,334
Was that this man's intention all along?

361
00:24:17,418 --> 00:24:22,418
To drag me through the jungles as a way to
break through and change my perspective?

362
00:24:25,626 --> 00:24:28,501
Suddenly, my whole journey
came flooding back.

363
00:24:28,584 --> 00:24:31,876
-["Sealed With a Kiss" playing]
-And with it, all the waves I had surfed.

364
00:24:31,959 --> 00:24:35,626
In Kapali, Cabo, Mavericks,

365
00:24:35,709 --> 00:24:38,293
Michigan, Kilokilo,

366
00:24:38,376 --> 00:24:41,293
and here at Valparaiso.

367
00:24:41,376 --> 00:24:43,876
They had all been perfect.

368
00:24:45,126 --> 00:24:47,418
They would always be perfect.

369
00:24:48,751 --> 00:24:50,168
[Carol] Te pai kē.

370
00:24:52,834 --> 00:24:58,418
I returned home to the shores of Kapali,
energized with a new outlook on life.

371
00:24:58,501 --> 00:25:00,043
But I wasn't alone.

372
00:25:01,793 --> 00:25:04,834
After wrestling alligators
in Western Australia

373
00:25:04,918 --> 00:25:07,876
and free-soloing up El Capitan,

374
00:25:07,959 --> 00:25:13,043
Baba Lou Anne was more than happy to
kick back and relax on some chill waves.

375
00:25:14,043 --> 00:25:15,626
Dottie was back too,

376
00:25:16,751 --> 00:25:21,543
and with a new friend,
Toshio Matsuda and his board "Joaquin."

377
00:25:22,209 --> 00:25:24,418
And look who stopped by to say hi.

378
00:25:24,501 --> 00:25:25,459
CP.

379
00:25:25,543 --> 00:25:28,959
After her first novel
was optioned into a movie,

380
00:25:29,043 --> 00:25:31,293
CP started on her next one.

381
00:25:33,251 --> 00:25:38,084
This time, our four lady surfers
are infiltrating a dangerous biker gang

382
00:25:38,168 --> 00:25:42,709
to clear their names and possibly win
the Redondo Beach surf competition.

383
00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:45,834
Sounds gripping.

384
00:25:46,584 --> 00:25:50,418
As for me, my journey ends here.

385
00:25:51,126 --> 00:25:52,626
Endless rays.

386
00:25:53,126 --> 00:25:54,834
Endless waves.

387
00:25:55,876 --> 00:25:58,376
When you're up on your board,
you're alive,

388
00:25:58,459 --> 00:26:02,543
safe in the stillness of summer,
speeding towards the infinite.

389
00:26:02,626 --> 00:26:04,793
There is no reward or prize.

390
00:26:04,876 --> 00:26:06,668
Nothing to chase or find.

391
00:26:06,751 --> 00:26:08,251
You're already there.

392
00:26:08,334 --> 00:26:10,376
Gliding across the sea.

393
00:26:10,459 --> 00:26:12,834
That's when perfection happens.

394
00:26:12,918 --> 00:26:15,793
That's when time stops
and your heart opens.

395
00:26:16,293 --> 00:26:18,709
And it may only be for a second,

396
00:26:18,793 --> 00:26:20,668
but once it collapses,

397
00:26:20,751 --> 00:26:24,834
all you need to do is paddle out
and capture it all over again.

398
00:26:26,626 --> 00:26:27,709
And again.

399
00:26:29,293 --> 00:26:30,543
And again.

400
00:26:31,709 --> 00:26:32,959
And again.

401
00:26:34,626 --> 00:26:41,584
♪ Yes, it's gonna be
A cold, lonely summer ♪

402
00:26:42,209 --> 00:26:46,376
♪ But I'll fill the emptiness ♪

403
00:26:46,459 --> 00:26:49,876
♪ I'll send you all my love ♪

404
00:26:49,959 --> 00:26:54,501
♪ Every day in a letter ♪

405
00:26:54,584 --> 00:26:58,293
♪ Sealed with a kiss… ♪