“The way Ian and those guys are surfing it like it’s a little 6-foot right slab, it’s kind of not relatable, you know?” -John Florence
Remember when people actually debated the merits of towing vs paddling into big waves? Saying the sport has changed quite a bit is still an understatement. So today, what constitutes “big” is all relative as every new year brings a slew of first evers and world’s biggest, etc. And if you really stop to think about it, can you imagine a limit on what can be surfed now?
Distance Between Dreams is an exploration of all this: the evolution of big wave surfing, the limits that (probably) no longer exist, the possibilities, and the people that are all doing it right before our eyes. The new Red Bull Media House feature follows Ian Walsh and his brothers, John John Florence, Greg Long and Shane Dorian through the 2015/2016 Northern Hemisphere El Niño winter with a lot of insane moments at Jaws.
“The sheer talent of surfers charging big waves right now, matched with advancing safety technology, and innovations in board design have helped progress big wave surfing to heights that we couldn’t imagine just a few years ago,” Walsh says. “This film offers people a really in-depth look and feel for what we as surfers experience when trying to paddle into some of the biggest waves in the world.”
A full year in the making now, the film was released on iTunes today as the second feature in Red Bull Media House’s The Unrideables franchise. “Trying to tell Ian’s story was a tremendous learning experience for me,” said Grammy-nominated producer Tom Holkenborg, who composed the score for this film. “Surfing is a dangerous, solitary and very noble pursuit. I think the majority of people are unaware of just how athletic guys like Ian are. The work he has to put in, in and out of the water is tremendous. The ocean is a magical place, but it’s also dangerous. Capturing Ian’s spirit and the dichotomy of his environment is what is at the heart of this score.”
Editor’s Note: Distance Between Dreams can be downloaded on iTunes here.
