Best Sections of All-Time: Ireland from Thicker Than Water

Thicker Than Water is one of the greatest surf films of all-time. Period. It articulates the underlying spirit of why we do what we do. Using a series of vignettes, one involving a green surfboard serving as a symbol that binds all surfers together, others just illustrating the joy surfing and friendship brings, and a few that describe the sense of adventure that underlies all surfing endeavors.

Jack Johnson directed this film with the Malloys, who I think represent a kind of surfer we all strive to be at some point in our lives. Connected to the land, water, communities and families…maybe bearded.

I’m fully aware all this sounds a bit sappy, but when I was really young I was looking for punk rock surf vids to get psyched to…and there were plenty of those to love, but now, looking back, we all come around to films like this — films that capture that feeling that’s so difficult to speak about over egg nog at Christmas to your aunts, but so rad to thoroughly understand.

If you can, watch the full film here, it contains the catalyst of what binds us all together as surfers. The Malloys and Jack managed to articulate an entirely fresh philosophy into surfing through travel, music, personalities and memories.

All the parts in this film are iconic, but the Ireland part is uniquely special. Growing up, I watched it probably 5,000 times with the sound off working the wetsuit section of the local surf shop. It features Brad Gerlach, Noah Johnson, Chris Malloy, Raimana Van Bastolaer, Conan Hayes and a young Bobby Martinez sampling a variety of conditions and waves in the foreign land of Ireland, Gerr serving as tour guide and narrator looking for a pint of Guiness with a cutting edge mic’d up moment from the ‘90s — a universally unique part of being a surfer. They find some strange waves and a few pints along the way.—Travis Ferré