Over the course of 40 years, professional waterman, Robby Naish, won over 150 tournament victories and became a 24-time world champion. His purpose in everyday life was to compete and become an exceptional athlete. So now in his fifties, as he figures out what to accomplish next in his life, The Longest Wave documentary sheds light on his career during transition from competing to life after professional sport, a perspective rarely documented. From award-winning director Joe Berlinger (The Cecil Hotel, Paradise Lost, Brother’s Keeper, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and Crude) The Longest Wave is now available to watch on Red Bull TV for free here.
A young Robby Naish rigs his windsurfer. // Photo Carol Naish / Red Bull Content Pool
Robby Naish won his first windsurfing world title aged 13 and he has been at the forefront of windsurfing, kitesurfing, paddleboarding and more recently foilboarding. Berlinger exposes what happens when a 24-time world champion from Hawaii, who paved the way for new extreme sports, is told to stop. Does the clock stop ticking, and all you have worked for come to an abrupt end? Robby is far from ready for his life to lose the meaning and purpose he’s always leaned upon.
Robby Naish and Joe Berlinger talking behind the scenes on beach at Skeleton Bay, Namibia on May 7, 2017 // Photo Alan Van Gysen / Red Bull Content Pool
With special appearances from the likes of fellow legends Laird Hamilton, Kai Lenny and Chuck Patterson, the film transcends the action sports genre by capturing obstacles outside of the legendary Californian athlete’s professional life from business and mentorship to fatherhood.
The Longest Wave is a film that looks at the man behind the sports he grew, and who has reached what he is told is his last goal, his final title. The film captures the story of the man continuing his quest for brilliance by challenging himself to ride the world’s longest wave, yet unexpectedly reveals his vulnerabilities as a businessman, an innovator who is constantly crafting and developing, as a mentor for upcoming talent, and as a father who’s been on the road many days of his daughters’ lives.
The legendary Robby Naish takes the new Torque 2 bar for a spin. Having presided over the humble origins of the sport, Robby has been pushing the envelope of performance since the early days. // Photo Frankie Bees
The Longest Wave looks back at the incredible career of American watersports legend Robby Naish, who pioneered windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand up paddleboarding and foil boarding on his way to global stardom.