Shea Hodges hates dumb guys, gnarly waves and reefs that scrape you bloody. The 15-year-old is a surfer with the ambition to go professional within the next two years, because like many other girls her age she has little interest in school. Shea was born on Oahu, Hawaii, and lives with her mother in the island’s third-largest city, Kailua. Girls are rare in these leagues, even if Shea’s male colleagues have long since conceded without jealousy that she is world-class. Riding the waves of Hawaii is no picnic, not comparable to the tame weekend paddling you see in Germany. Four-meter waves can look pretty scary when you’re standing on a small board and trying to zip through the “tunnel”. Shea has already been accepted into the Hawaiian national team and took part in the World Surfing Games in Durban, South Africa, in 2002.

Riding the waves came from her father, who put her feet on a board when she was still in water wings. After her parents separated, her relationship to her father became more difficult – surfing has become the only occasion where they meet. Sometimes Shea hates him for the overwhelmingly high expectations he places upon her. Through personal conversations and a sensitive power of observation, director Susanna Salonen has depicted the turbulent inner life of a girl full of conflicts. Shea is torn between her drive and her self-denial. Like many of her peers, she stubbornly rejects the demands of parents and coaches, but at the same time is full of energy and power for her dream. She lives in a world that, on a material level, offers everything, but to make her dreams reality she needs more than just wishful thinking. A strong will and rigorous training stand between her and success.

Regie: Susanna Salonen
Buch: Susanna Salonen
Kamera: Susanna Salonen
Schnitt: Tina Hillmanns
Ton: Ulla Kösterke
Redaktion: Inge Klaasen, Katya Mader (3sat)
Produktion: Andrea Ufer
Koproduktion: 3sat
Sender: 3sat