On Wednesday, the first episode of 'BILLY' will premiere at 9:00am PT and begin to tell the story of Billy Kemper and his journey from the heights of big wave surfing at the end of 2019 to a near career-ending injury in Morocco shortly after.
The six-part series features Kemper's long road to recovery and his drive to get back in the water after the severe, complicated and emotional injury that occurred after a ten-hour session during a dream trip to Morocco in early 2020.
As Hawaiian big wave surfer Billy Kemper fights to get back on the board after a life-threatening injury in Morocco, he confronts the personal losses that have both defined his life and motivated his immense success.
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.
Billy Kemper sits down to enjoy a meal with his family before leaving for Morocco. - WSL
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.
During the first one of swell in Morocco, Billy Kemper, Koa Smith and Luke Davis scored some epic right-handed barrels. - WSL
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 ...
Watch Now: Billy: Chapter 1
"BILLY: Chapter 1" Now Live, See What The First Episode Has In Store
Cayla Moore
On Wednesday, the first episode of 'BILLY' will premiere at 9:00am PT and begin to tell the story of Billy Kemper and his journey from the heights of big wave surfing at the end of 2019 to a near career-ending injury in Morocco shortly after.
The six-part series features Kemper's long road to recovery and his drive to get back in the water after the severe, complicated and emotional injury that occurred after a ten-hour session during a dream trip to Morocco in early 2020.
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.
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.
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 ...
Watch Now: Billy: Chapter 1
Billy Kemper
The former event sponsor returns to the helm and delivers for men and women at the world's most famous wave.
November 15 marks the beginning of the Big Wave season, with two events to run between now and March 31.
2021 Men's Performer Of The Year Nominees: Kai Lenny, Peter Mel, Conor Maguire, Grant Baker, Sebastian Steudner, Ian Walsh, Nathan
2021 Men's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Billy Kemper at Jaws on December 2, 2020. Video by Sebastian Tronolone Jr.
2021 Men's Ride Of The Year Billy Kemper at Jaws on December 2, 2020. Video by Marcus Rodrigues.
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