Laird Hamilton: The Mindset That Changed Surfing Forever | Sean Callagy

Unblinded with Sean Callagy

In this episode of Unblinded, Sean Callagy interviews legendary waterman Laird Hamilton about the mindset required to redefine extreme sport

Key takeaways

• Laird Hamilton pioneered tow-in surfing specifically to overcome the 'ceiling' of what could be achieved through traditional paddling.
• Hamilton credits his resilience and work ethic to his mother's influence and a childhood spent navigating dangerous Hawaiian waters.

Main topics

• Big wave surfing innovations
• Childhood in Hawaii

Notable quotes

The ceiling is not the end, it is the invitation.

Conclusion

The episode serves as an inspiring blueprint for using innovation and

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Some people are built by life. He built himself out of cold water, open ocean, and a refusal to accept any ceiling as final. He swam a mile against the current, injured in shark-infested water to save his teammate's life. Then, the moment that teammate was safe, he went back out. Not because he was reckless. Because that is who he is. The truest living example of what becomes possible when identity never gotiates with conditions. Speaker 2 (0:28) Laird Hamilton. Speaker 4 (0:29) I'm going to surf an effing big wave. So do you think we have a shot? So my Speaker 7 (0:37) mom used to say, you know, the way God punishes you is he gives you what you ask for. So we can definitely accommodate you. And we'll bring you back in one piece. And Speaker 4 (0:51) he is down to the bone and he's bleeding to death in the ocean. So Laird gets like naked in the ocean and like takes off his clothes and makes a tourniquet. Speaker 7 (1:01) If you were naked and you were swimming a mile offshore in an area that you knew that there were some big sharks, you'd be an incredible swimmer. If you're truly generous, you'll risk your life for someone. So Speaker 4 (1:19) we said Laird Hamilton, ladies and gentlemen. Speaker 4 (1:30) How are you doing, sir? Speaker 7 (1:31) Very well, thank you. Thank Speaker 4 (1:33) you so much for being here. Speaker 7 (1:34) Honored. I'm honored to meet you and meet your beautiful people. Speaker 4 (1:40) Thank you. And as these folks know, because we're going to surprise them with your coming today, but we decided because it just fit in a moment, I decided to share that you were coming. You know, these folks know out there how inspiring you are to me, how inspiring you are in the world. And certainly many of these people were inspired by you before hearing your name here. Some discovered it. And uniformly, these people are truly deeply moved. So what I'd love to do, if it's okay with you, is just maybe begin at the beginning. And Hawaii, being born, being three, sort of what was that journey into the water and life like for you? Speaker 7 (2:27) Well, my mother met her high school sweetheart and got pregnant. And then it was the 60s, so he wanted to be a merchant marine, and she was pregnant. And so he left, and she had to figure out what she was going to do. And she went to San Francisco, and I was born there. She actually worked at a fair right before and was able to get, like, a free hospital thing done in San Francisco. Speaker 7 (2:57) They did some experiments on her. I'm not sure if that had an effect on me or not. Well, Speaker 4 (3:03) if Speaker 7 (3:03) it was, it was a good one. Exactly. Speaker 3 (3:05) And Speaker 7 (3:06) then she just took me, you know, she grew up in a surf culture in Southern California. She took me to... Speaker 7 (3:15) And it was, you know, it was obviously the 60s. It was the war. It was all the stuff that was going on. And it was like, you know, they called it, the surfers called it the rat race. And we need to get out of here. So she took me to Hawaii because that represented paradise. And as an infant, I was kind of subjected to, you know, surfers and surfing. I went. I can remember being pushed in on little waves when I was probably two years old and falling on urchins and having both butt cheeks impaled to the point where I couldn't sit down for a couple of weeks. It left an impact on me, of course, and in me. Speaker 7 (4:03) And then we moved to what was the most dangerous beach at the time. My mother said that I could actually crawl to the pool and swim before I could walk. I don't know if that's Speaker 4 (4:16) a Speaker 7 (4:16) truth or not, but I would go to the pool and they always had to watch because I would always just... go to the water maybe it's being a pisces or something it has something to do with it i'm not sure but uh and then we moved to the most dangerous species in the world and and i that i learned how to swim uh at the most dangerous beach in the world and uh actually i learned how to not drown that was really the better thing more importantly never mind the swimming just don't drown and and i got rescued a lot as a young child and all of the men uh that were around me were all watermen, you know, they were all all kind of the fearless group of surfers that were going out in the big surf and in Hawaii and so that was you know, I wanted to emulate that I looked at that and I was like I want to that's what I you know It'd be like if you grew up next to a stadium and you were like, hey, I want to be like that guy He's the champ and and so that was a foundation, you know, I Speaker 3 (5:18) I introduced my Speaker 7 (5:20) dad to my mom. That's the story they let me tell. I think he knew my mom was very attractive. And so he acted like he never met her. And I'm like, hey, come meet. And so technically I chose someone who I thought would be like what my dad would be. Speaker 4 (5:40) and how old were you i was Speaker 7 (5:41) five probably four when i introduced her but five when they got married he was young and and a great surfer um handsome i mean it's it's kind of crazy because in a ways you know my wife has seen pictures of him when i when he was young and she's like she thought that they were me like that's you know and no relation like no relation but like oh yeah is that you and i'm like no that's bill when he was young and so i had that i had uh I had that dynamic initially, and then it turned into kind of a competition between him and I. In Hawaii, you know, I never cry poor me, but when you look like I do and you're in Hawaii, you're like a descendant of Captain Cook who destroyed the place, so they don't love you. So I had that, and my family was poor. We grew up next to a pig farm, and I grew up next to kind of farming, fishing. Hunting all that kind of stuff. So I had all that as I was growing up to help teach me and and and was always attracted to the ocean because that was a place that I found equality that, you know, I always say we're all equal before a wave. There was no discrimination. I didn't care how rich, how smart, how strong it was. The only thing that separated you from the other people was what you knew and what they didn't. And so I really like that because that was something that I could actually. perfect so if i got better at it the better i got at it the more i could separate myself uh and and and uh and maybe it was a place to look for respect i always would say hey i don't care if you like me but you'll respect me and so i i worked on that and i had a natural uh i had a natural inkling for danger i just was like a little daredevil and i think That's what probably drove my mom into an early grave. I think my mom, you know, she always thought I was going to die. She was like, oh, he lived to six. Oh, he lived to eight, you know. He lived to ten. Wow, he's 12. He made it. You know, he's 14. It was like every, you know, every day, every year, it was, you know, crazy stuff. And we lived like a little bit like wild Indians in the jungle. No shoes, no pants, maybe shorts. Lucky if you had a T-shirt, usually no shirts. Just surf shorts in the jungle and sharp things. coral and and strong riptides and so that that was kind of the foundation of my uh of my school was terrible um not a place i wanted to be you know you're in the tropics it's beautiful there's surfing and then you're going to go sit in this like room and be with a bunch of people that don't like you and you had to ride the bus for two hours each way and i was just like i seem to miss that a lot that bus like a lot like like a lot like most of the time like I just think I missed that bus. And so that, so I had that as my kind of my foundation. And then, uh, and then as I grew, I just was attracted to, to bigger and bigger situations. And, and, uh, and I think because of my background, like all the things that we had to do, you know, we'd always have to fix everything. because you didn't have, there was no one to call. You didn't call somebody to fix things. You fixed them. Or you knew somebody in your neighborhood who fixed them, so you learned how to fix them. So I think that helped me be creative. They did some weird stuff to me in my education, which affected my reading initially. And my mom used to read some amazing books to me. Growing up, she read like Lord of the Rings. Jonathan Libby's and Siegel and all these beautiful books to me to expand my imagination and so and I think we had we had TV but we had rabbit ears with with aluminum foil And we had a bare tin roof. So you'd watch a movie on TV that you could barely see. And then the rain would come right at the conclusion. And so you'd always just never hear what happened. You'd be over there by the speaker and you're like, hey, what's this guy saying? So it wasn't, you know, and then the TV went off and didn't go on until the next day. So we didn't have a lot of, you know, we didn't have a lot of outside interference. And then I was able to be with Hawaiians that were beautiful, the Polynesians, and learn there. They still lived off the land at that time. There was no Costco yet. That kind of put a hammering on that, like hunting or go to Costco. Well, easier to go to Costco. But I was able to kind of like in a little bit of a time forgotten. And I think that definitely has had a huge impact on my creativity, on my ability to kind of problem solve, all those things that really. really helped me in in the pursuit of of kind of my passion and you know my mom didn't I think the first time my mom saw me surf she might have been uh like in her late 30s or something like that maybe early 40s and we were surfing at Jaws it was giant and somebody goes oh Laird's on a wave I think they said she walked out to the cliff she looked and she just turned around and goes I can't watch this and so Wow. So, um, but she, my mom was always about just how you were as a person, you know, like what kind of person you were, how you treated people. And, uh, that's what, what, like that was the rule. Like, I don't care what you do when you do it, do it the best to your ability. And, uh, I don't care if you're sweeping the floor, sweep the floor perfectly as best you can, 100%. And so it didn't matter what the task was. It was always about. completion and and giving it your your your best effort and so and she worked you know my mother worked very hard growing up she was Speaker 7 (11:33) My stepdad didn't just wanted to surf. And so he wanted to be on welfare. And my mom's like, I'm embarrassed to go to the store and pay with food stamps. And I'm not going to use discount coupons. And so she started going to work and eventually started the first helicopter company in Hawaii that toured because she had a friend that was a Vietnam vet and eventually just built the whole. life for herself and for us I mean I can remember my mom going to the laundromat I mean we had all kinds of rules at my house the one I lived in had been moved twice by tidal waves and we had like screen windows and a bare tin roof and like I said when it rained hard you you couldn't really talk because it was so loud and it rains a lot on Kauai it's the wettest place on in the world and so there was a lot of not talking you know there was can Speaker 4 (12:17) I say one thing so I went everybody didn't know this, I could for one sec, that so we've had a lot of incredible people on this podcast. And they've been like nice folks. Some have acted very nicely. Some have been a little more interesting. So, you know, this is Laird Hamilton. And he's in the house like taking my plate. And like, I'm going to throw this away. And no, like I got the water and I'm going to help do it. He's like, I'm carrying the surfboard. I'm like, Laird, please. Like, I don't like carrying a surfboard. Like, that's crazy. He's like, of course I'm going to carry the surfboard. And he's like, what do you want to do now? What do you want to do next? And I'm like, oh, if you need a break to rest, I could chill anytime I want to. Like, I'm here to spend time and like, let's go do stuff. and I just want to say how grateful I am and how much he lives his words. We hear people say, well, my mom taught me, and we had rules, and you do things, you do it right. That could sound like a cliche, except when you're actually living it. And I got to experience that, not because of him just being in the water today, which was a dream come true for me. Again, thank you. But I'm sitting there, and he's carrying surfboards. And he's picking up plates, carrying them, and not only his own, but like trying to take mine and take it. So let's give it up for that, please. Thank you. Right, so thank you. We Speaker 7 (14:06) do live in a time that when you help people, it's a novelty. And it's kind of weird in a way. I'm like... You do what you're supposed to do and that's somehow a novelty. I'm like, that seems strange. We're a little bit in that time right now. My wife and I talk about it a lot. Acting how you're supposed to, being kind, being polite, doing the things that you're supposed to do is now rare. That's a crazy world to live in because that's not what the world's supposed to be. Speaker 7 (14:46) It's yeah, I mean, I guess everybody has to live by their own code, but I'm just like, be how you're supposed to. And like, wow, that's, you know, and I'm not saying that, you know, that no one's doing that. But you, if you, when you live in this world, it seems rare that when people are actually, you know, just acting like you're supposed to act, being how you're supposed to be, be polite, be helpful, do the things that you're supposed to do as a person in a community as person. part of the human race. It's like, hey, somebody's hurt. Help them out. Some of the thing like, you know, my mom used to take in stray dogs. I mean, she had this one dog that was just the most mangy dog you've ever seen. And I used to have to wash the dog. I'm like, they wanted to put it down. Like they were like, hey, they're going to put the she's like, oh, we're not gonna put that dog down. I think it was Speaker 4 (15:30) his Speaker 7 (15:30) name was snags or something like that. But Speaker 4 (15:34) So today, and continuing this context, a lot of different people are like, could we shoot a quick video? Could we do a quick this? Could we do a quick that? And that was certainly not with Laird blessing us with coming here within the scope of what we were talking about. And he just, no problem, no problem, no problem, no problem. And at some point I'm like, oh yeah, no, they're also with us here. And he said, okay, cool. He goes, but I'd do the same thing if they weren't. Speaker 4 (16:04) Right? And that's just for all of us. Why am I saying this? Not only because to acknowledge that which we would hope people would act like, but most don't, but also to let everybody know when you're interacting with people who hold a tremendous identity value, a lot of those folks, or at least some of those folks, will be very kind and generous people like Magic Johnson was to Darren. Like Laird was to people all over that beach today and neighbor walking down the street. So I invite you to not limit your thinking that because somebody's achieved a certain level of identity or relationship capital or monetary capital or skill set that they will not potentially be an open-hearted good person. Don't take advantage of that. Seek to add value to what we say, but a conversation can be opened far more often than you might think. Thank you. Speaker 7 (17:18) It's easy, I think, to be... Speaker 7 (17:21) let judgment get in the way, right? We just think, oh, they're like that, so this is how it is. I think, you know, I feel like you always want to give somebody an opportunity. Now, if they prove you right, that what you think is right, then, you know, cool. But maybe they'll prove you wrong soon, so. Speaker 4 (17:39) Thank you. And so can I ask this? Yes. As you're developing and surfing, I guess two-part question is, like, when do you first begin to see yourself? Speaker 4 (17:51) separating in skill and how does earning an income, earning a living, at what stage does that sort of move into the equation? I know we were joking, teasing, I know modeling is there, surfing is there. What's the evolution of that surf separation and how Laird Hamilton begins to earn a living? Speaker 7 (18:16) Well, first of all, because my route was so unorthodox, you know, I was not participating in contests because I watched my stepdad's surfing contest. I watched the judgment and the way the system was run. I didn't want to subject my performance to that criteria, which made it more difficult to earn a living. Speaker 7 (18:42) You know, I always I tell my daughters, I go find your special purpose, you know, find the thing that that that really brings you a passion. I go, you if you're fortunate enough to get to do that as your as your job, shame on you. But, you know, but or you'll subsidize it. And so in a way, a lot of the things I was doing initially was to just subsidize. I would do anything to subsidize my ability to keep to keep. pursuing my goal and I believed in my heart that if I could just be the best I could be that that that that would take care of you know the monetary side of things that if I that that that that would be uh an after effect I just I believe in ideas and I think that uh that that the result that the that the financial rewards only only confirm the idea how big it is you know it's like just steve jobs idea around a phone you know that's his idea and the result is is it is what he thought it was so it's really idea based and then and then uh And then I was fortunate as I went, I had, I got, you know, I got sponsors. I got, I mean, because the, when you looked at what I was doing, it was like, well, people pay you because you get exposure. Right. And so in a way, like if you can get exposure, people will pay you. And so for me, it was like, okay, well, if I can, if I can, you know, be the best I can be and do and do and let, and let the chips fall where, where they may. And I would have subsidized it. I know how to run an excavator. I can. I can work. I'm not scared of working. And I do work and have worked and will work. And so I was never afraid of it. I wasn't trying to avoid it. It was just that I was able to turn that into a business. I was able to turn my art, because technically it's my art, it's my self-expression. Riding giant waves is just I'm expressing who I am and what's in me. And so in a way that... Through that true pursuit of expression, it's allowed, you know, it turned into a business. And that began to change some of the ways I looked about it as well because then I was having to adjust what I was doing for that and took some of the soul out of it. But from that came a lot of other opportunities. Speaker 7 (21:17) I modeled at some point for a little while just because that was easy money. They go, yeah, go stand there, take a picture, and then you get some money and go surf for another year. So for everybody, Speaker 4 (21:30) this is really the point of the entire immersion. You just all go model and get pictures taken yourself, and then you can do whatever you want. So yes, if you're up for that, say yes. Perfect. Speaker 7 (21:46) So maybe not, maybe not what you're thinking, but so Speaker 4 (21:50) weird. So, but if I could, what, so you're surfing, right? And this is developing and your mom's like, oh my God, he made it to like eight. And then he made it to 11. Yay. Like, oh my God, he turned 14. That's incredible. Speaker 4 (22:06) how was the concept? Because if you're not clear, there's, and I don't want to, there's Speaker 1 (22:14) a Speaker 4 (22:14) famous surfer, because I don't want to say anything that Laird says in private and say it publicly, but a famous surfer who is very competition-based and very successful, you know, surfing on much smaller waves,