[imagesource: Facebook / Matt Bromley Surf / Ted Grambeau]

Matt Bromley isn’t as much of a household name as Jordy Smith or Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, but he is a well-respected and much-loved character on the world big wave surfing circuit.

Based in Kommetjie, Bromley’s travels have taken him around the globe to popular spots like Hawaii, California, Indonesia, and Ireland.

His new 54-minute doccie, Over the Edge, focuses largely on his exploits at the world-renowned Jaws, a big wave spot on Maui in Hawaii.

Bromley spoke with IOL ahead of the doccie’s release:

“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.

Over the Edge was released in full earlier this week, but let’s start with the trailer:

It takes a special sort of character to charge the biggest waves in the world, but Bromley points out that there’s also a great deal of planning and plotting that goes into catching the ultimate ride:

“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.”

In another interview, he’s quoted as saying that “when we face our fears and push over the edge, we’re able to connect with ourselves and truly live”.

The doccie is available on multiple platforms, and you can find details on how and where to watch here.

If you’re after more great big wave content, I cannot recommend 100 Foot Wave highly enough.

This six-part series follows the decade-long odyssey of big-wave pioneer Garrett McNamara, who helped Nazare go from a small fishing village in Portugal to a premier surf destination:

[source:iol]