Cape town - Matt Bromley, a globally respected and revered big wave surfer, released his surf movie Over The Edge on Tuesday.
The film, a 54-minute documentary, tells the tale of just how Bromley became one of the best and most passionate big wave surfers in the world.
Bromley has been chasing big waves for many years, jumping between Hawaii, California, Indonesia, South Africa and Ireland. For him it was all about finding the biggest waves and pushing himself over the edge to catch and ride these behemoths.
Much of the movie focuses on Jaws, the big wave spot on Maui in Hawaii.
“Jaws is the pinnacle of big wave surfing, and it has also been the pinnacle of my big wave career,” said Bromley of the film.
“It also includes the session I had at maxing Nias,” said Bromley, who was present at Sorake Beach on Nias Island in Indonesia when some of the biggest waves ever seen there exploded over the famous horseshoe-shaped reef.
The movie covers the drama of travelling through a Covid-ravaged world and Bromley’s wife having a baby, all while he was in pursuit of that one bomb wave at Jaws.
The unassuming Bromley is quick to point out that he is not simply some surfer filled with bravado, but an analytical thinker. Bromley is someone who plans his big wave sessions carefully, including complex physical training as part of his planning.
“The more physically prepared you are, the more confident you are,” says Matt. He laughs at the cliché of big wave surfers being reckless cowboys. Instead, he adopts a highly analytical approach to chasing big waves, both in and out of the water.
“When I see a swell building on the charts, I try to break down and analyse every single element of the swell. Are the waves going to be increasing or decreasing on the day? What are the dangers at the spot I’ve got my sights on? What are my line-ups going to be? Is my equipment ready? I try to visualise the exact conditions that there are likely to be on the day and prepare accordingly.”
Eliminating as many variables as possible allows you to take control of the situation, says Matt. Or, at least, as much control as you can have among 50-foot seas.
The movie will be available on this link on October 19: https://geni.us/OverTheEdge