Legendary Hawaiʻi surfboard shaper’s life now on the big screen in new documentary

Longtime Kauaʻi resident Dick Brewer was known as “the father of the modern-day surfboard” for his innovative designs and shaping of boards that were coveted by professional big wave riders around the world.

Now, a new documentary about his legendary shaping and the ups and downs of his long life will be screened on the Big Island on Saturday at noon at the Waimea Kahilu Theater and on Nov. 9 at noon at the Palace Theater in Hilo.

It’s part of the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival.

The 70-minute film, titled “The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story,” also explores the history and evolution of surfing from the 1960s to the present.

“Dick’s life and what he did with surfboard design is so intertwined with the history of modern surfing that you really can’t separate them,” said Teresa “Teri” Tico, a Kaua’i attorney and an executive producer of the film.

Brewer was born in 1936 in ocean-less Minnesota. But he was raised in California, where he discovered surfing in the early 1950s. He designed his first surfboard just a few years later. In 1961, he moved to Oʻahu, opened a surf shop, and pioneered innovative styles that ultimately led to him being called “surfing’s most influential board maker.” 

Watching Brewer shape a board has been compared to witnessing National Hockey League Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky lace up his skates again, or National Basketball Association great Larry Bird pick up a basketball. Others called him the “Leonardo da Vinci of surfboard design.”

“He was the guru, the man on the mountain, the shaper everybody knelt down before,” surf historian Matt Warshaw said in a statement. “Figuratively, mostly, but I think maybe literally, too.”

Warshaw said Brewer created “incredible guns, just Sabrejet-level equipment for North Shore surfers in the ’60s and ’70s.”

In March 2022, shortly after an initial rough cut of the film had been completed, Brewer passed away at his house in Princeville. He was 85.

Although he never got to see the completed film, he was happy with the outtakes.

“He really got a kick out of it” Tico said.

The film illustrates Brewer’s influence on the progression of surfing, from big longboards, to short boards and tow-in surfboards on giant waves. A major innovation by Brewer was the modern tow-in surfboard, which took “the sport to a whole new level that was unimaginable before,” Tico explained.

When big-wave surfing icons Laird Hamilton and Darrick Doerner pioneered tow-in surfing in the mid-1990s, Brewer’s surfboard design was a key part of their successes.

“They were using these big boards, thinking that that’s what they needed,” Tico said. “And Dick said, ‘No, you’ve got it all wrong. We’re going to design a short board for you to tow in with on these giant waves.'”

Now, more surfers are riding bigger and bigger waves “and truthfully we have Dick Brewer to thank for that,” Tico added.

Hamilton and Doerner both appear in the film, which also features interviews with several other prominent surfers, including Reno Avalaro, Kai Lenny and Garrett McNamara.

When McNamara broke the record for the largest wave ever surfed, as documented in the HBO series 100 Foot Wave, he rode a Dick Brewer board

The film uses archival footage to shape its narrative, exploring some of the highs and lows of Brewer’s life, including his struggles with drug addiction and a car accident on Maui in 1974 that resulted in the death of his infant son and severe injuries to himself and his daughter. 

The incident led to his “fall from grace,” as Brewer sunk into a deep depression for several years. 

“I think that Dick’s story gives us inspiration that life goes on and can be better than ever,” Tico said. “We just have to pull ourselves up from those dark places and carry on. And look at what he did. His greatest design, his greatest invention, came after that dark tragedy – the modern tow-in board.”

Despite his struggles, Tico emphasized that Brewer also is remembered for being a charismatic and “truly remarkable human being,” who mentored other shapers in his later years.

After years working on the documentary, Tico is looking forward to the premiere.

“We’re so happy that it will be screening on Kaua’i because Dick having lived here for so many decades, has so many people who just loved him,” she said. “And now we get to bring the film home.”

After the movie is shown on Friday, a question-and-answer session will follow with the filmmakers, including director and producer, Bob Campi, a four-time Emmy award-winning cinematographer and an executive producer of several feature films and shorts. 

Campi resides in California and currently works as the Director of Photography for “Entertainment Tonight” and “NBC News.” 

Other key members of the project expected to attend the screening include writer Jim Kempton and executive producers Tico, Allen Sarlo, Steve Morgan and Sherry Brewer, Dick’s wife.

The film previously was screened at the Honolulu Surf Film Festival in July and the Maui Film Festival in August, where it won Audience Choice Awards at both events.

“I guess people really like it,” Tico said. 

Tico, who has been making environmental documentaries for the last 25 years, described the film as the most successful project she has been involved with to date. 

“People don’t want to hear about climate change and rising sea levels and declining fisheries and melting glaciers. They want to hear about surfing,” she said with a laugh. 

The film is expected to continue screening at festivals for the next three to six months, including on the East Coast, West Coast and in Australia. After making its round in festivals, it will hopefully be sold to a major streaming platform and be made available to watch worldwide, Tico said.

“We have had several offers, but we haven’t accepted anything yet,” she said. “We’re really interested in getting the film out to audiences everywhere.” 

Members of the public can purchase tickets and find more information about the Nov. 2 screening here, and the Nov. 9 screening here. Ticket prices range from $9 to $13 online.