Ride the Wild Surf

Many of the best surfers head to Hawaii for the two weeks around Christmas, as it is considered the time of the biggest waves on the islands, especially at Waimea Bay. Among those that have descended there this year, which promises to have even bigger waves than usual thanks to an approaching storm, are Malibu-based friends Jody Wallis, Chase Colton, and Ralph "Steamer" Lane, who know they will be challenged by the Hawaiian surf, let alone those at Waimea Bay. Before the big surf hits Waimea, they meet up with other surfers at nearby beaches and find that there is competitive mentality among the surfers, not only on who is the best surfer, but also on who has the greatest overall bravado. The competition is sometimes friendly and sometimes not so friendly. The biggest competition is to become king of Waimea, which requires not only surfing skill but moxie. Although they didn't come in search of it, they also find romance. Steamer, for whom surfing is only a casual pastime while he works his way through life, is attracted to islander Lily Kilua, and they must hide the fact that he's a surfer from her protective mother, who believes that surfers are nothing but trouble, much like Lily's absent father. Wealthy Chase, who always takes the most traditional path, hooks up with Augusta Poole, a mainlander visiting for Christmas, despite their less-than-friendly initial meeting. Augie's adventurous mentality is the exact opposite of Chase's, so they must find the right balance. And Jody, the best surfer of the three, who considers himself a full-time surfer in part because he is running away from everything else in life, hooks up with Augie's friend, staid Brie Matthews, who tries to inject a sense of responsibility into Jody's life path.