1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,625
["Lacrimosa" by Zbigniew Preisner playing]

2
00:00:12,208 --> 00:00:13,666
[Carol] Endless rays.

3
00:00:14,541 --> 00:00:16,125
Endless waves.

4
00:00:19,666 --> 00:00:23,333
I forget who I was
before I first got up on my board.

5
00:00:24,583 --> 00:00:27,416
That person washed away in the tide.

6
00:00:30,041 --> 00:00:33,250
When you're out on the surf,
you're a blank slate,

7
00:00:34,041 --> 00:00:37,291
free to let the waves carry you
into what's next.

8
00:00:37,958 --> 00:00:39,875
Free to be your perfect self.

9
00:00:42,125 --> 00:00:44,291
To find that perfect wave.

10
00:00:45,833 --> 00:00:49,375
Enveloped by the waters, held by them.

11
00:00:49,458 --> 00:00:50,833
That's home to me.

12
00:00:51,625 --> 00:00:54,250
When you come out
the other side of a break,

13
00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:55,916
you're a whole new person.

14
00:00:56,750 --> 00:00:58,208
You're a whole new you.

15
00:00:58,291 --> 00:00:59,875
[wave whooshing]

16
00:01:02,958 --> 00:01:04,250
[music fades]

17
00:01:04,333 --> 00:01:06,916
[Carol] Coconuts seem sweeter in the sun.

18
00:01:09,666 --> 00:01:10,583
Mahalo.

19
00:01:10,666 --> 00:01:13,833
["Don't Leave Me on the Earth"
by La Luz playing]

20
00:01:22,875 --> 00:01:25,041
[gulls squawking]

21
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,875
[waves crashing]

22
00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:57,458
[Carol] Humans have been surfing Kapali
since the Middle Ages.

23
00:01:59,166 --> 00:02:02,666
Baba Lou Anne, Dottie, CP and I
rode in last week.

24
00:02:04,125 --> 00:02:08,458
In Kapali, the waves
are as big as our personalities.

25
00:02:09,208 --> 00:02:13,250
The exposed reef gives it
that consistent, clean point break.

26
00:02:16,125 --> 00:02:17,375
Real nice.

27
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,208
Some consider surfing a sport,

28
00:02:21,291 --> 00:02:24,833
but the way Baba Lou Anne moves out there,
it's closer to art.

29
00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:28,083
She's really a fantastic surfer.

30
00:02:28,166 --> 00:02:31,750
She can ride with either foot forward.
Goofy and regular.

31
00:02:31,833 --> 00:02:34,125
Few surfers can do that.

32
00:02:34,208 --> 00:02:38,000
Fewer still can do it right in the middle
of a pull-out in midair.

33
00:02:38,083 --> 00:02:41,041
Ladies and gentlemen, Baba Lou Anne.

34
00:02:46,916 --> 00:02:51,208
Dottie hasn't been surfing long,
but she really has a ball.

35
00:02:51,291 --> 00:02:53,291
She's also recently divorced.

36
00:02:53,375 --> 00:02:54,958
After coming home from work

37
00:02:55,041 --> 00:02:58,875
and finding her husband
in bed with a dental hygienist,

38
00:02:58,958 --> 00:03:00,916
she now makes the sea her lover.

39
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,458
Riding waves with reckless abandon
on a board nicknamed "Suzie."

40
00:03:06,625 --> 00:03:09,041
Say hello to the cameras, Dottie.

41
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,333
CP, short for Corinthia Panatopoulos,
is an excellent surfer.

42
00:03:16,416 --> 00:03:19,541
She's blind in one eye,
no depth perception,

43
00:03:19,625 --> 00:03:22,041
but that doesn't seem to slow her down.

44
00:03:22,125 --> 00:03:25,375
You don't need two eyes
to see how good she is.

45
00:03:25,458 --> 00:03:26,958
Look at her go.

46
00:03:27,708 --> 00:03:31,041
When she's not on her board
taming wicked waves,

47
00:03:31,125 --> 00:03:32,875
CP is writing a book,

48
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:39,916
an adventure novel about four lady surfers
who solve mysteries in their spare time.

49
00:03:40,666 --> 00:03:44,625
Not sure when she'll finish it,
but I like how one starts.

50
00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:49,333
Opera singer found in the shallows
with a throwing star in her back.

51
00:03:49,416 --> 00:03:51,708
Good beach read, that's for sure.

52
00:03:53,750 --> 00:03:56,791
We gather here at the shores of Kapali,

53
00:03:56,875 --> 00:04:01,083
20 kilometers from
the strawberry-shaped islands of Kono

54
00:04:01,166 --> 00:04:03,458
for a week of sun and fun.

55
00:04:03,541 --> 00:04:07,541
Afterward, we plan to break off
and head our own separate ways.

56
00:04:08,208 --> 00:04:11,416
Baba Lou Anne is heading out to Seattle.

57
00:04:11,500 --> 00:04:14,625
Not to surf the choppy waves
of Alki Point,

58
00:04:14,708 --> 00:04:17,125
but to base jump off the Space Needle.

59
00:04:18,625 --> 00:04:21,916
Dottie and her board, Suzie,
are headed to Japan.

60
00:04:22,875 --> 00:04:25,583
CP is leaving to dedicate more time

61
00:04:25,666 --> 00:04:28,958
to cooking up clever twists
for her murder mysteries.

62
00:04:30,083 --> 00:04:34,333
As for me, I'm gonna chase
that sun around the world,

63
00:04:34,833 --> 00:04:38,916
in search of the biggest waves,
the friendliest people,

64
00:04:39,833 --> 00:04:43,250
all the while discovering myself
along the way,

65
00:04:44,083 --> 00:04:47,250
as I jump into the waters surfboard-first.

66
00:04:47,958 --> 00:04:49,333
All heart and soul,

67
00:04:50,041 --> 00:04:53,041
just my board and a heavy coat of wax.

68
00:04:57,416 --> 00:04:58,583
Righteous.

69
00:05:02,750 --> 00:05:04,875
-[song fades]
-[lively reggae music playing]

70
00:05:04,958 --> 00:05:08,333
[Carol] Packing for this kind of journey
is extremely important.

71
00:05:08,416 --> 00:05:11,333
You need to stay smart
and pack with a purpose.

72
00:05:11,416 --> 00:05:15,000
And for me, that means surfboard wax,

73
00:05:15,083 --> 00:05:18,083
bathing suit, one chrysanthemum,

74
00:05:18,166 --> 00:05:21,916
three towels,
my lucky puka shell necklace,

75
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,750
sunscreen, SPF 150,

76
00:05:24,833 --> 00:05:29,208
two disposable cameras,
an English-to-Maori phrasebook,

77
00:05:29,291 --> 00:05:33,666
trashy beach read,
The Swells of Love by Alice T. Townsend,

78
00:05:33,750 --> 00:05:37,125
photograph of surf legend
Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman,

79
00:05:37,208 --> 00:05:39,583
incense sticks, seven,

80
00:05:39,666 --> 00:05:41,833
flare gun, sunglasses,

81
00:05:41,916 --> 00:05:44,750
mysterious totem, machete.

82
00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,875
And the willingness to chuck it all away
and accept where life takes you.

83
00:05:52,875 --> 00:05:56,416
[woman] I'm sorry, ma'am.
Your suitcase appears to be in London.

84
00:05:56,500 --> 00:05:58,208
[music fades]

85
00:05:58,291 --> 00:06:00,958
[up-tempo jazz playing]

86
00:06:01,041 --> 00:06:03,833
[plane engine roaring]

87
00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:09,208
[Carol] There's nothing like a cool breeze
after a three-hour flight.

88
00:06:09,291 --> 00:06:13,958
None cooler than from
the pristine waters of the Sea of Cortez.

89
00:06:14,041 --> 00:06:18,541
I start my search for the perfect wave
here at Cabo San Lucas.

90
00:06:19,666 --> 00:06:24,125
Once a sleepy town
visited only by nomad surfers,

91
00:06:24,208 --> 00:06:28,708
Cabo San Lucas has become
a must-see tourist destination.

92
00:06:28,791 --> 00:06:30,791
[inaudible]

93
00:06:30,875 --> 00:06:33,125
[Carol] Known for its wild nightlife,

94
00:06:33,208 --> 00:06:36,041
tourists now come to party
at Señor Chi-Chi's

95
00:06:36,125 --> 00:06:39,291
or The Drunken Mermaid,
just to name a few.

96
00:06:39,375 --> 00:06:42,250
But I'm not here
for the giant fishbowl margaritas

97
00:06:42,333 --> 00:06:44,333
or the wet T-shirt contests.

98
00:06:44,416 --> 00:06:47,375
-I came here for the surf.
-[surfers cheering]

99
00:06:52,791 --> 00:06:53,833
[Carol] Groovy.

100
00:06:55,958 --> 00:06:59,291
-So many lost spring-breakers…
-["Lacrimosa" playing]

101
00:06:59,375 --> 00:07:03,500
A whole generation of teens
who never found their way back home.

102
00:07:04,166 --> 00:07:08,166
Intoxicated revelers
refusing to ever grow up.

103
00:07:09,291 --> 00:07:12,583
All dancing along the sandy shores,

104
00:07:12,666 --> 00:07:16,041
drinking up the waters
from this mythical fountain.

105
00:07:16,125 --> 00:07:20,500
Water with the power to rejuvenate
and keep them young forever.

106
00:07:22,041 --> 00:07:24,500
When you're out here in the ocean,

107
00:07:24,583 --> 00:07:27,291
you're always
in the shallows of your youth.

108
00:07:28,625 --> 00:07:30,458
Endless rays.

109
00:07:30,541 --> 00:07:32,625
Endless waves.

110
00:07:32,708 --> 00:07:35,500
-Endless adolescence.
-Chug! Chug! Chug!

111
00:07:35,583 --> 00:07:39,958
[Carol] Overall, Cabo San Lucas
had some great surf.

112
00:07:40,041 --> 00:07:43,500
But if I was going to find
the perfect wave,

113
00:07:43,583 --> 00:07:48,750
I needed to look harder and travel
to spots untouched by tourists.

114
00:07:48,833 --> 00:07:52,333
Hey cutie. Once you're done here,
how about joining us for a drink?

115
00:07:53,875 --> 00:07:55,333
Maybe next time.

116
00:07:57,541 --> 00:07:58,625
Real smooth.

117
00:07:58,708 --> 00:08:01,041
Shut up. I didn't hear you say anything.

118
00:08:01,125 --> 00:08:05,750
["You Let Me Rust"
by Shannon & The Clams playing]

119
00:08:29,125 --> 00:08:30,125
[shutter clicks]

120
00:08:43,333 --> 00:08:44,333
[music fades]

121
00:08:44,416 --> 00:08:47,833
[Carol] My search
for the perfect wave continues here.

122
00:08:47,916 --> 00:08:51,333
-The mecca of the surf world, Mavericks.
-[soft string music playing]

123
00:08:51,416 --> 00:08:54,500
With waves topping out at over 60 feet,

124
00:08:54,583 --> 00:08:58,041
it's become a proving ground
for every big-wave surfer.

125
00:08:58,708 --> 00:09:03,041
So before I even paddled out,
I knew I had to prepare.

126
00:09:03,125 --> 00:09:05,916
I meditated four times a day,

127
00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,500
two more than my usual.

128
00:09:07,583 --> 00:09:10,833
[howling]

129
00:09:10,916 --> 00:09:15,791
[Carol] I imagine myself a wolf,
the waves a baby deer.

130
00:09:17,125 --> 00:09:21,875
I imagine myself a bear,
the waves passing salmon.

131
00:09:22,833 --> 00:09:24,958
And I was watching it.

132
00:09:25,041 --> 00:09:29,291
From the shore,
the cliffs, in the middle of the night.

133
00:09:29,375 --> 00:09:34,041
Always watching it,
devouring it, learning from it.

134
00:09:35,208 --> 00:09:40,750
[howling]

135
00:09:40,833 --> 00:09:42,791
[Carol] Before I knew it, I was ready.

136
00:09:42,875 --> 00:09:44,916
[string music intensifies]

137
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,916
[Carol] I chose to surf the monster
with my old friend Nadia.

138
00:09:49,750 --> 00:09:52,333
She used to be a nurse in Sarajevo,

139
00:09:52,416 --> 00:09:54,541
then a nun in Cappadocia.

140
00:09:56,291 --> 00:09:58,541
Now she rode giants.

141
00:09:59,125 --> 00:10:02,000
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

142
00:10:02,083 --> 00:10:05,416
Waves like these remind you
of how small you really are.

143
00:10:06,083 --> 00:10:08,333
Just a speck of sand in the ocean.

144
00:10:08,416 --> 00:10:11,416
A grain of rice in God's loving palm.

145
00:10:12,125 --> 00:10:18,833
I finally wrangle a 50-footer and prepare
to ascend to whatever plane Nadia's on.

146
00:10:18,916 --> 00:10:22,958
It's an amazing feeling, riding that wave.

147
00:10:23,708 --> 00:10:25,583
It's pure power.

148
00:10:25,666 --> 00:10:27,250
Pure strength.

149
00:10:28,250 --> 00:10:30,708
For a moment, I think I've found it,

150
00:10:30,791 --> 00:10:33,000
the wave I've been looking for.

151
00:10:33,083 --> 00:10:35,041
[music swells]

152
00:10:35,125 --> 00:10:36,708
But when it's over,

153
00:10:37,333 --> 00:10:38,833
I know I haven't.

154
00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:43,250
This is Nadia's perfect wave, not mine.

155
00:10:45,791 --> 00:10:46,875
[music fades]

156
00:10:47,541 --> 00:10:49,500
The search continues.

157
00:10:49,583 --> 00:10:51,250
[romantic piano music playing]

158
00:10:51,333 --> 00:10:54,625
[plane engine roaring]

159
00:10:56,833 --> 00:11:00,625
[Carol] In Tuscany,
I decide to skip the waves altogether.

160
00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:04,708
No, I was here for a different reason.

161
00:11:06,833 --> 00:11:08,583
To visit an old flame.

162
00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:12,875
Angelo Alfolini.

163
00:11:14,833 --> 00:11:19,166
It was immediately clear that time apart
had not lessened our bond.

164
00:11:20,291 --> 00:11:25,416
We roamed the countryside
discussing politics, talking philosophy,

165
00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:29,708
and debating various topics
ranging from love, life,

166
00:11:29,791 --> 00:11:32,666
and our observations on Italian cinema.

167
00:11:33,875 --> 00:11:36,041
We spoke concerning wine

168
00:11:36,125 --> 00:11:40,583
and the merits of grapes
squeezed in old wooden barrels.

169
00:11:40,666 --> 00:11:43,708
Made rigatoni and fresh mozzarella,

170
00:11:43,791 --> 00:11:47,583
and dined on the finest risotto
I've ever tasted.

171
00:11:49,791 --> 00:11:52,375
But as quickly as my visit had begun,

172
00:11:54,083 --> 00:11:55,125
it was over.

173
00:11:58,791 --> 00:12:01,166
The sun had risen, and I was off,

174
00:12:01,250 --> 00:12:03,375
setting out back on my journey

175
00:12:03,458 --> 00:12:05,708
in search of the perfect wave.

176
00:12:08,500 --> 00:12:10,666
Arrivederci, my love.

177
00:12:11,791 --> 00:12:14,208
[wind howling]

178
00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:17,708
[melancholy orchestral music playing]

179
00:12:17,791 --> 00:12:21,875
[Carol] In Lake Michigan, we urinated
in our wetsuits to keep warm.

180
00:12:24,583 --> 00:12:27,750
Meanwhile, in Thailand,
the waves were short-lived.

181
00:12:27,833 --> 00:12:31,291
But I did find a souvenir
that would last a lifetime.

182
00:12:31,375 --> 00:12:34,125
[buzzing]

183
00:12:34,958 --> 00:12:36,583
[Carol] All in all, a good week.

184
00:12:39,333 --> 00:12:42,500
[waves lapping]

185
00:12:43,958 --> 00:12:46,666
[Carol] Still, something was off.

186
00:12:49,333 --> 00:12:51,083
I had become lost.

187
00:12:54,083 --> 00:12:58,166
The more I traveled,
the more I could feel it slipping away.

188
00:13:00,333 --> 00:13:02,916
Did the perfect wave even exist?

189
00:13:03,833 --> 00:13:08,541
On the shores of Kilokilo,
I explained my troubles to Auli'i,

190
00:13:08,625 --> 00:13:12,583
a local surfer who believed
the true key to finding the perfect wave

191
00:13:12,666 --> 00:13:15,250
lied in psychotropic substances.

192
00:13:16,041 --> 00:13:18,833
They called it "Gesthaini."

193
00:13:18,916 --> 00:13:22,500
It starts as a flower grown
on the bark of mangroves

194
00:13:22,583 --> 00:13:24,541
that's later ingested by bats,

195
00:13:24,625 --> 00:13:27,958
then excreted and scraped off
the walls of caves

196
00:13:28,041 --> 00:13:30,833
before finally being served in a tea.

197
00:13:32,125 --> 00:13:34,833
Was this the answer I was looking for?

198
00:13:36,208 --> 00:13:40,416
That night, Auli'i led me
down the banks of the Saanapu River

199
00:13:40,500 --> 00:13:43,333
to see an elder known only as "Wailele."

200
00:13:44,250 --> 00:13:47,916
Wailele was believed to be
over 100 years old

201
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,500
and had guided many a wayward traveler.

202
00:13:52,083 --> 00:13:55,791
I was scared, but if this was the way
to find the perfect wave,

203
00:13:55,875 --> 00:13:57,041
so be it.

204
00:13:57,125 --> 00:14:00,500
[dramatic string music playing]

205
00:14:04,458 --> 00:14:06,500
[low rumbling]

206
00:14:10,291 --> 00:14:12,958
[bell ringing]

207
00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:19,375
[sound of whooshing water]

208
00:14:20,791 --> 00:14:22,250
[gulls squawking]

209
00:14:22,333 --> 00:14:24,416
[sound of waves lapping]

210
00:14:26,583 --> 00:14:28,583
[gull squawking]

211
00:14:35,458 --> 00:14:36,708
[thunderclap]

212
00:14:37,791 --> 00:14:39,250
[thunderclap]

213
00:14:40,208 --> 00:14:41,541
[thunderclap]

214
00:14:43,041 --> 00:14:44,250
[thunderclap]

215
00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:48,750
[water whooshing]

216
00:14:55,166 --> 00:14:56,416
[loud booming]

217
00:15:00,125 --> 00:15:01,375
[light claps loudly]

218
00:15:03,541 --> 00:15:05,375
[music intensifies]

219
00:15:12,583 --> 00:15:15,541
[music becomes dissonant]

220
00:15:15,625 --> 00:15:17,708
[music fades]

221
00:15:17,791 --> 00:15:19,291
[Carol] I'd seen them.

222
00:15:19,375 --> 00:15:21,000
The perfect waves.

223
00:15:21,583 --> 00:15:22,625
[somber music plays]

224
00:15:22,708 --> 00:15:27,208
And for the first time,
they felt closer than ever before.

225
00:15:30,083 --> 00:15:32,791
[wind whistling gently]

226
00:15:38,458 --> 00:15:40,208
[plane engine roaring]

227
00:15:40,291 --> 00:15:45,000
[Carol] There are easier ways to get to
the Omani coast on the Arabian Sea.

228
00:15:45,083 --> 00:15:50,833
A number of airports spare travelers
the brutal trek across the Sharqiya Sands.

229
00:15:50,916 --> 00:15:54,208
But it also deprives them
of its desert swells.

230
00:15:54,916 --> 00:15:57,708
A sea of dunes frozen in time.

231
00:16:00,916 --> 00:16:03,541
I couldn't come to Oman
without dropping in.

232
00:16:09,666 --> 00:16:11,750
[wind whistling]

233
00:16:24,750 --> 00:16:26,083
Gnarly set.

234
00:16:26,583 --> 00:16:27,875
[surfboard lands]

235
00:16:35,625 --> 00:16:37,541
[Carol] The tea is good.

236
00:16:37,625 --> 00:16:42,000
Jackson tells me it's Karak Chai,
a local favorite.

237
00:16:42,083 --> 00:16:45,291
I met Jackson in the lineup
at Manhattan Beach.

238
00:16:45,375 --> 00:16:48,833
Back then he was
an even bigger surf bum than me.

239
00:16:48,916 --> 00:16:52,500
Dawn patrol seven days a week,
rain or shine.

240
00:16:52,583 --> 00:16:54,291
Then he gave it all up.

241
00:16:54,375 --> 00:16:58,208
When I ask him why, it's clear
he doesn't want to talk about it.

242
00:16:59,333 --> 00:17:00,333
Fair enough.

243
00:17:01,500 --> 00:17:04,541
For some, the obsession becomes too much.

244
00:17:04,625 --> 00:17:09,083
You can lose yourself in it
until it's all you have left.

245
00:17:10,083 --> 00:17:11,791
Whatever happened to Jackson,

246
00:17:11,875 --> 00:17:16,625
I think he needed to put an entire desert
between himself and the surf.

247
00:17:16,708 --> 00:17:19,375
I guess he's all about weaving now.

248
00:17:19,458 --> 00:17:23,166
When he asks how I'm doing,
I tell him about my vision.

249
00:17:23,250 --> 00:17:27,125
The monster, the fog, the perfect wave.

250
00:17:27,208 --> 00:17:28,625
He just laughs.

251
00:17:28,708 --> 00:17:32,916
I should have known better
than to bring up gospel to an atheist.

252
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,333
After that,
Jackson just sort of slipped away,

253
00:17:36,416 --> 00:17:40,625
lost, sifting through the ashes
of something in his mind.

254
00:17:43,625 --> 00:17:44,916
Bye, Jackson.

255
00:17:45,833 --> 00:17:47,208
Thanks for the rug.

256
00:17:47,291 --> 00:17:48,625
[wind whistling]

257
00:17:51,208 --> 00:17:53,458
[Carol] The next few days were difficult.

258
00:17:54,666 --> 00:17:58,250
I couldn't get the vision
of those perfect waves out of my head.

259
00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:03,458
It crawled inside my being
and it began to affect my sleep.

260
00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:06,416
So I set off for the one place

261
00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:09,500
where I knew I could make
what I had seen a reality.

262
00:18:12,958 --> 00:18:14,583
[plane engine roaring]

263
00:18:14,666 --> 00:18:16,625
[Carol] Located in East Sussex,

264
00:18:16,708 --> 00:18:21,916
this sleepy seaside town isn't exactly
known for being a renowned surf hub.

265
00:18:23,166 --> 00:18:28,250
But when the winds start gusting
and the fog rolls in, that all changes,

266
00:18:29,125 --> 00:18:31,250
transforming this quaint little hamlet

267
00:18:31,333 --> 00:18:34,916
into one of the gnarliest places
to snack on waves.

268
00:18:38,375 --> 00:18:39,416
Far out.

269
00:18:40,166 --> 00:18:41,583
[whistle blowing]

270
00:18:41,666 --> 00:18:44,458
[Carol] When I got here,
there was a fog advisory.

271
00:18:44,541 --> 00:18:47,500
More mist and haze
than they usually allow.

272
00:18:47,583 --> 00:18:50,458
And the lifeguard had begun
to wave everyone in.

273
00:18:51,166 --> 00:18:53,625
Perfect. More waves for me.

274
00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:57,333
It was just like my vision.

275
00:18:57,416 --> 00:18:59,958
No sky, no ocean.

276
00:19:00,041 --> 00:19:01,833
Just me and the fog.

277
00:19:01,916 --> 00:19:03,291
I knew I was close.

278
00:19:04,458 --> 00:19:06,000
Then I heard it.

279
00:19:06,083 --> 00:19:08,708
The rumblings of a building wave.

280
00:19:08,791 --> 00:19:10,500
Was this it?

281
00:19:10,583 --> 00:19:11,416
Was this--

282
00:19:11,500 --> 00:19:13,083
[wave crashing]

283
00:19:16,791 --> 00:19:20,041
[melancholy string music playing]

284
00:19:39,333 --> 00:19:41,958
[string music building]

285
00:19:45,291 --> 00:19:46,541
[jellyfish zapping]

286
00:19:46,625 --> 00:19:48,625
[thunderclap]

287
00:19:48,708 --> 00:19:50,125
[thunder rumbling]

288
00:19:50,208 --> 00:19:51,916
[heartbeat pounding]

289
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:53,416
[Carol] It was all a blur.

290
00:19:54,458 --> 00:19:57,625
One moment I was living out my vision,
and the next…

291
00:19:57,708 --> 00:19:59,708
[rain pattering]

292
00:19:59,791 --> 00:20:02,041
[soft choral music playing]

293
00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:06,166
[Carol] Days later, I struggled
to come to terms with my failings.

294
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,750
In London, I was reunited
with my misplaced suitcase.

295
00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:16,541
But the items inside now seemed foreign.

296
00:20:16,625 --> 00:20:18,791
The personal effects of a stranger.

297
00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:21,583
Whose chrysanthemum is this?

298
00:20:23,625 --> 00:20:27,125
A stranger who believed
in the perfect wave.

299
00:20:31,750 --> 00:20:36,416
It was on the shores of Peru that
I realized surfing wasn't for me anymore.

300
00:20:38,541 --> 00:20:41,500
Maybe I could learn a trade like Jackson.

301
00:20:41,583 --> 00:20:43,791
Maybe I could make ceramic mugs.

302
00:20:44,625 --> 00:20:46,458
Everyone likes mugs.

303
00:20:47,833 --> 00:20:48,666
Mugs.

304
00:20:48,750 --> 00:20:51,208
The perfect gift for any occasion.

305
00:20:51,708 --> 00:20:54,666
I just knew it was time to move on.

306
00:21:04,541 --> 00:21:08,666
I was just about to head inside
and call it quits when, like a mirage,

307
00:21:08,750 --> 00:21:10,625
a figure appeared.

308
00:21:11,333 --> 00:21:13,333
I knew him from somewhere.

309
00:21:13,416 --> 00:21:16,666
But where? Where did I know him?

310
00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:18,583
Then it hit me.

311
00:21:19,583 --> 00:21:21,583
My lighthouse keeper.

312
00:21:21,666 --> 00:21:23,666
In some sort of gown?

313
00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:26,625
Is that a psychiatric bracelet?

314
00:21:29,125 --> 00:21:33,916
He immediately recognized the desperation
in my eyes and asked what was wrong.

315
00:21:35,250 --> 00:21:37,750
As he lapsed in and out of consciousness,

316
00:21:37,833 --> 00:21:42,041
I told him about my search,
and how I had failed miserably.

317
00:21:42,833 --> 00:21:44,625
He said he knew the way.

318
00:21:45,125 --> 00:21:47,541
Or at least that's what it sounded like.

319
00:21:47,625 --> 00:21:50,625
"I'll show you your perfect waves."

320
00:21:51,750 --> 00:21:55,333
"Thanks," I said.
"But I don't believe in that anymore."

321
00:21:55,416 --> 00:21:58,166
"Single day's journey by lamp oil."

322
00:22:00,083 --> 00:22:02,208
At first I was wary.

323
00:22:02,291 --> 00:22:06,416
He was drunk and the hospital robe
was even less reassuring.

324
00:22:07,291 --> 00:22:10,750
And yet there was something in his eyes
that made me want to trust him.

325
00:22:14,291 --> 00:22:18,208
So I followed him into the heart
of the Peruvian jungle.

326
00:22:19,083 --> 00:22:22,750
There was no trail, no markers, no order.

327
00:22:22,833 --> 00:22:26,208
He was only following
the compass within his mind.

328
00:22:26,291 --> 00:22:29,625
-The jungle was relentlessly fertile.
-[flies buzzing]

329
00:22:29,708 --> 00:22:35,208
It was hot, humid, and full of mosquitoes
and poisonous plants.

330
00:22:35,291 --> 00:22:38,708
The jungle didn't want us there,
and it was fighting us to get out.

331
00:22:38,791 --> 00:22:39,916
[jungle birds singing]

332
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,083
[Carol] What had I done?

333
00:22:41,166 --> 00:22:45,333
Did I really follow a stranger
into this violent obscenity?

334
00:22:45,416 --> 00:22:47,333
Was that a neck tattoo?

335
00:22:47,416 --> 00:22:49,291
Had that always been there?

336
00:22:50,916 --> 00:22:53,541
At one point he turned and said,

337
00:22:53,625 --> 00:22:56,291
"The spirit of the forest is with us now."

338
00:22:56,958 --> 00:22:59,083
I hoped to God he was right.

339
00:23:01,333 --> 00:23:04,500
At night, we took turns
looking out for pumas.

340
00:23:05,791 --> 00:23:07,166
-[animal growls]
-He slept first

341
00:23:07,250 --> 00:23:09,458
and didn't wake up until the next morning.

342
00:23:11,333 --> 00:23:14,916
It wasn't until sometime
in the afternoon when we saw it.

343
00:23:15,416 --> 00:23:18,375
In the ocean of green
was a glimmer of blue.

344
00:23:18,458 --> 00:23:20,958
And like a beacon, we followed it out.

345
00:23:24,125 --> 00:23:27,041
And there they were,
just like he had promised.

346
00:23:27,125 --> 00:23:28,666
The perfect waves.

347
00:23:30,541 --> 00:23:32,833
They were truly beautiful.

348
00:23:32,916 --> 00:23:34,750
A wonder to behold.

349
00:23:35,541 --> 00:23:40,041
I needed to get in,
to experience them as fast as I could.

350
00:23:40,125 --> 00:23:43,166
But, as I drew closer,

351
00:23:43,666 --> 00:23:46,416
I noticed something in the sands.

352
00:23:47,125 --> 00:23:49,125
Was that my surfboard?

353
00:23:49,833 --> 00:23:51,250
But how?

354
00:23:52,125 --> 00:23:55,791
I realized I was standing
exactly where I started,

355
00:23:55,875 --> 00:23:59,166
and yet here it was, perfection.

356
00:23:59,833 --> 00:24:02,750
How can this be? What had changed?

357
00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:07,208
After all, the only thing
that was different was me.

358
00:24:07,291 --> 00:24:09,291
My search had blinded me.

359
00:24:09,375 --> 00:24:13,791
This whole time I was looking
for waves that didn't need to be found.

360
00:24:13,875 --> 00:24:17,291
Was that this man's intention all along?

361
00:24:17,375 --> 00:24:22,375
To drag me through the jungles as a way to
break through and change my perspective?

362
00:24:25,583 --> 00:24:28,458
Suddenly, my whole journey
came flooding back.

363
00:24:28,541 --> 00:24:31,833
-["Sealed With a Kiss" playing]
-And with it, all the waves I had surfed.

364
00:24:31,916 --> 00:24:35,583
In Kapali, Cabo, Mavericks,

365
00:24:35,666 --> 00:24:38,250
Michigan, Kilokilo,

366
00:24:38,333 --> 00:24:41,250
and here at Valparaiso.

367
00:24:41,333 --> 00:24:43,833
They had all been perfect.

368
00:24:45,083 --> 00:24:47,375
They would always be perfect.

369
00:24:48,708 --> 00:24:50,125
[Carol] Te pai kē.

370
00:24:52,791 --> 00:24:58,375
I returned home to the shores of Kapali,
energized with a new outlook on life.

371
00:24:58,458 --> 00:25:00,000
But I wasn't alone.

372
00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:04,791
After wrestling alligators
in Western Australia

373
00:25:04,875 --> 00:25:07,833
and free-soloing up El Capitan,

374
00:25:07,916 --> 00:25:13,000
Baba Lou Anne was more than happy to
kick back and relax on some chill waves.

375
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,583
Dottie was back too,

376
00:25:16,708 --> 00:25:21,500
and with a new friend,
Toshio Matsuda and his board "Joaquin."

377
00:25:22,166 --> 00:25:24,375
And look who stopped by to say hi.

378
00:25:24,458 --> 00:25:25,416
CP.

379
00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:28,916
After her first novel
was optioned into a movie,

380
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,250
CP started on her next one.

381
00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:38,041
This time, our four lady surfers
are infiltrating a dangerous biker gang

382
00:25:38,125 --> 00:25:42,666
to clear their names and possibly win
the Redondo Beach surf competition.

383
00:25:44,458 --> 00:25:45,791
Sounds gripping.

384
00:25:46,541 --> 00:25:50,375
As for me, my journey ends here.

385
00:25:51,083 --> 00:25:52,583
Endless rays.

386
00:25:53,083 --> 00:25:54,791
Endless waves.

387
00:25:55,833 --> 00:25:58,333
When you're up on your board,
you're alive,

388
00:25:58,416 --> 00:26:02,500
safe in the stillness of summer,
speeding towards the infinite.

389
00:26:02,583 --> 00:26:04,750
There is no reward or prize.

390
00:26:04,833 --> 00:26:06,625
Nothing to chase or find.

391
00:26:06,708 --> 00:26:08,208
You're already there.

392
00:26:08,291 --> 00:26:10,333
Gliding across the sea.

393
00:26:10,416 --> 00:26:12,791
That's when perfection happens.

394
00:26:12,875 --> 00:26:15,750
That's when time stops
and your heart opens.

395
00:26:16,250 --> 00:26:18,666
And it may only be for a second,

396
00:26:18,750 --> 00:26:20,625
but once it collapses,

397
00:26:20,708 --> 00:26:24,791
all you need to do is paddle out
and capture it all over again.

398
00:26:26,583 --> 00:26:27,666
And again.

399
00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:30,500
And again.

400
00:26:31,666 --> 00:26:32,916
And again.

401
00:26:34,583 --> 00:26:41,541
♪ Yes, it's gonna be
A cold, lonely summer ♪

402
00:26:42,166 --> 00:26:46,333
♪ But I'll fill the emptiness ♪

403
00:26:46,416 --> 00:26:49,833
♪ I'll send you all my love ♪

404
00:26:49,916 --> 00:26:54,458
♪ Every day in a letter ♪

405
00:26:54,541 --> 00:26:58,250
♪ Sealed with a kiss… ♪