Mark Healey grew up with the pulse of the ocean in his blood. Hailing from the North Shore of Oahu, his world was shaped by the ever-changing sea and the lush tropical landscape that surrounded him. Mark had dreams of becoming a marine biologist as a boy but, while still in middle school, his oceanic calling found him in a different venue. Healey first blew the surf scene’s collective mind in a magazine photo spread. The shutter snapped, as an ant-sized, unidentified 14-year-old flew down the face of a 40-footer at notorious Waimea Bay, and Mark Healey’s life course was altered forever. Since then he’s surfed in every big wave event there is, from the Oahu-based Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Memorial Contest, to the traveling Big Wave World Tour. The BWWT is especially innovative in its mandate of paddle-in surfing only and its 50-foot+ wave requirement. Winning contests is an undeniable high, but the real gift Healey’s surfing career has given him is a ticket to wander the planet. As
she was surfing at 10. to be an olympian at your age, how do you top this? i don t know. i, like, love surfing so much. i have tons of goals. but right now i m just trying to live in the moment and enjoy this. reporter: while popular here in japan, chiba prefecture is not exactly known as a global surfing destination, but the olympics cements its place in history. when i was in high school, surfing was a counterculture sport. i would go to take a girl out, and she d tell her dad that i was a surfer. and it was, like, oh, my god. reporter: today the biggest surfing stars can make millions. and the biggest name on team usa john john florence, world famous for his powerful barrel riding. i grew up in hawaii. we have a lot of power in the