Emmy Awards
100 Foot Wave Rides High with Outstanding Documentary Win at 2025 Creative Arts Emmys
HBO Max’s 100 Foot Wave has officially made a splash at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, taking home the coveted Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series award. The acclaimed surfing docuseries triumphed over powerhouse nominees, including Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Simone Biles Rising, Peacock’s SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, and FX’s Social Studies.
The win marks another milestone for the show, which also earned Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program earlier in the evening. Since its debut in 2021, 100 Foot Wave has secured 12 Emmy nominations and two prior wins, solidifying its place as one of HBO Max’s most celebrated nonfiction projects.
Surfing Meets Storytelling
Now in its third season, 100 Foot Wave follows legendary surfer Garrett McNamara and nearly a dozen elite athletes as they chase the planet’s biggest and most dangerous waves. The series blends breathtaking visuals with human storytelling, showing both the triumphs and risks of surfing waves as tall as seven-story buildings.
“When we first started, Garrett McNamara said, ‘Little person on big wave. People like that.’ It’s really that simple,” director Chris Smith told People. “The enormity of the wave immediately connects with viewers — imagining surfing down something that massive is both terrifying and exhilarating.”
HBO Max’s 100 Foot Wave
A Tough Field of Competitors
This year’s Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series category featured some of television’s most compelling storytelling:
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Chef’s Table Vol. 7 (Netflix), spotlighting globally acclaimed chefs like Nok Suntaranon, Kwame Onwuachi, and Spain’s Ángel León.
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Simone Biles Rising (Netflix), which chronicled the gymnast’s emotional journey to her Paris 2024 Olympic comeback.
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SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (Peacock), celebrating five decades of sketch comedy with behind-the-scenes insights.
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Social Studies (FX), exploring the pressures of growing up in the social media era.
Each project had critical buzz, but 100 Foot Wave’s visual spectacle and emotional depth ultimately carried it to the top.
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The Broader Emmy Landscape
The Creative Arts Emmys, held on September 6–7 in Los Angeles, honor technical achievements and documentary storytelling across television. The event precedes the Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast on FXX, September 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
Last year, Netflix’s Beckham claimed the title with its intimate look at soccer icon David Beckham. This year, 100 Foot Wave continues the tradition of docuseries that transcend subject matter to connect deeply with audiences.
Beyond extreme sports, 100 Foot Wave has become a metaphor for resilience, passion, and confronting fear head-on. With Emmy recognition piling up, the show is not just a surfing documentary — it’s a cultural phenomenon riding television’s biggest wave.
