Laird Hamilton is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and model. He is known for riding the largest waves ever surfed.
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Hamilton was born on March 2, 1964, in San Diego, California. His parents were both surfers. Hamilton began surfing at a young age and quickly became proficient. He began competing in surfing competitions as a teenager and won several titles.
In the early 1990s, Hamilton and a group of friends pioneered tow-in surfing, which involves being towed into waves by a jet ski. This allowed Hamilton to ride waves that were previously unrideable. He quickly became known as the best tow-in surfer in the world.
Hamilton has been featured in numerous surf movies and documentaries. He has also appeared on television shows such as The Tonight Show and 60 Minutes. In addition to surfing, Hamilton is an accomplished kiteboarder and windsurfer.
Hamilton is married to Gabrielle Reece, a professional volleyball player. The couple has two daughters. Hamilton has an estimated net worth of $20 million.
Has one daughter with Gabrielle Reece, named Reece, born October 2003.
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Met his wife when she interviewed him about big wave surfing as a host for the TV series The Extremists (1995).
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Is widely considered to be the greatest big wave surfer in history.
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Revolutionizing surfing with a sport he calls Foilboarding. A surfboard with foot straps has a hydrofoil attached underneath so that at speed the board rises out of the water making it much more maneuverable.
Known for surfing the monster waves, having been a pioneer of using jet skis to tow surfers into huge waves. Big wave accomplishments: the "Millennium" in Teahupoo, Tahiti in 2000 and "Jaws" in Maui in 2002
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Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world [1996]