On this installment of "The Lineup" with Dave Prodan, Hawaiian Big Wave World Champ Billy Kemper joins the podcast to discuss the release of "Billy," the new six-part documentary series that follows his road to recovery after a life-threatening fall on a surf trip in Morocco.
"BILLY" premieres Wednesday, February 24 at 9am PST and new episodes drop every Sunday at 9am PST. Watch on WorldSurfLeague.com.
Right Place, Wrong Time
Coming off of a monumental year in 2019, Kemper found himself at the high point of his already distinguished career after winning the cbdMD Jaws Big Wave Championships -- his fourth win at the venue -- bagging the wave of his life at Jaws, then following it up with a victory at the Sunset Open.
But that wasn't enough for Kemper, and he wanted to keep this incredible momentum rolling.
Keeping an eye on the swell charts, when things started popping in the Atlantic he called up fellow competitors and freesurfers Koa Smith and Luke Davis to see if they'd join him on a swell hunting expedition.
With the surf smashing into the North African coastline in February of 2020, the boys packed their bags and headed to Morocco.
"As far as the consequences, I don't think we really knew what could happen until this trip," Kemper explains.
Billy Kemper On A Strike Mission In Morroco - WSL
The Heart Of A Champion
Narrated by Selema Masekela, 'BILLY' brings a unique perspective to the accomplishments of the four-time Jaws event winner, 2018 Big Wave World Champion and father of four from Maui now living on Oahu.
Pushing limits of what is humanly possible every time he paddles out, Kemper's focus is the pursuit of riding the biggest waves in the world and achieving the lofty goals he set for himself.
"This is a story of when what you love threatens to take you from who you love," Masekela explains.
2020 Biggest Paddle Entry: Billy Kemper at Jaws - WSL
Top 5 Most Helpful Actions To Heal From Injury
In this week's Top 5 segment, Kemper breaks down the top five most helpful actions on the road to recovery.
Episode 1 features Smith, Davis and Mark Healey, along with their local guide Jerome Sahyoun, as the crew surfs an empty perfect barreling right, a step-filled slab and an inviting left as soon as they touch down in Morocco.
While the waves from the first swell were a nice introduction, a second, much larger swell started to form while they were still in Morocco, and the crew decided to stay for it to see what it offered ...
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Tune in for Episode 1 of "BILLY" on Wednesday February 24 at 9:00am PT right here on WorldSurfLeague.com