Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Most people think big wave surfers are fearless. Luca says fear is the only place courage can exist.
Luca Padua is a big wave surfer from Half Moon Bay, California, who grew up two miles from Mavericks, one of the most dangerous waves on Earth. He surfed it for the first time at 13, lived with Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece for six years, and now runs Bigger Than Waves, a project supporting veteran mental health through VETS.
What surprised me is how honest Luca is about being scared. He was the cautious kid his mom had to walk down the high dive.
He argues fear is intelligence, not weakness. Courage isn't innate; it's built through training, like the pool sessions with Laird that once made him black out. That framing runs through every story he tells, from his first drop at Mavericks with the jagged Boneyard rocks below him to sitting shoulder to shoulder with his childhood heroes in the lineup.
We also get into his path away from enlisting in the military, the letter from a special operations friend that changed his direction, and why he believes purpose has to come before performance.
You’ll learn:
[0:00] Introduction
[6:04] Big wave surfers aren't fearless, and the only place courage can exist
[10:33] The lore of Mavericks and what makes an 80-foot wave so deadly
[23:49] Luca’s fallout with his parents after that first Mavericks session, and finding his path forward
[37:16] The lesson Laird Hamilton taught him about being faithful in the small things
[42:01] Almost enlisting in the military, and how Bigger Than Waves and VETS was born
[53:48] What training with Ido Portal and Christian McCaffrey taught him about being a beginner
[1:00:39] Navigating social media as a distraction machine while staying on the righteous path
Resources Mentioned:
Laird Hamilton | lairdhamilton.com
VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions) | vetsolutions.org
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson | amzn.to/4hYnqnY
Inside Maverick's: Portrait of a Monster Wave by Doug Acton | amzn.to/4goXCQI
In Waves and War | netflix.com/title/82047468
Find more from Luca:
Luca Padua | instagram.com/lucapadua | youtube.com/@lucapaduaofficial
Bigger Than Waves | instagram.com/biggerthanwaves | biggerthanwaves.com
Find more from Ste:
Ste Lane | instagram.com/thestelane
Radical Health Radio | instagram.com/radicalhealthradio | youtube.com/@UC96khd99jlhF6nNQAV-8mlA
Heart and Soil Supplements | heartandsoil.co | instagram.com/heartandsoilsupplements | https://x.com/heartandsoilhq | youtube.com/channel/UCyf4v0HhGiHc8_ZIiSfd3Ug
Most people think big wave surfers are fearless. Luca says fear is the only place courage can exist.
Luca Padua is a big wave surfer from Half Moon Bay, California, who grew up two miles from Mavericks, one of the most dangerous waves on Earth. He surfed it for the first time at 13, lived with Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece for six years, and now runs Bigger Than Waves, a project supporting veteran mental health through VETS.
What surprised me is how honest Luca is about being scared. He was the cautious kid his mom had to walk down the high dive.
He argues fear is intelligence, not weakness. Courage isn't innate; it's built through training, like the pool sessions with Laird that once made him black out. That framing runs through every story he tells, from his first drop at Mavericks with the jagged Boneyard rocks below him to sitting shoulder to shoulder with his childhood heroes in the lineup.
We also get into his path away from enlisting in the military, the letter from a special operations friend that changed his direction, and why he believes purpose has to come before performance.
You’ll learn:
[0:00] Introduction
[6:04] Big wave surfers aren't fearless, and the only place courage can exist
[10:33] The lore of Mavericks and what makes an 80-foot wave so deadly
[23:49] Luca’s fallout with his parents after that first Mavericks session, and finding his path forward
[37:16] The lesson Laird Hamilton taught him about being faithful in the small things
[42:01] Almost enlisting in the military, and how Bigger Than Waves and VETS was born
[53:48] What training with Ido Portal and Christian McCaffrey taught him about being a beginner
[1:00:39] Navigating social media as a distraction machine while staying on the righteous path
Resources Mentioned:
Laird Hamilton | lairdhamilton.com
VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions) | vetsolutions.org
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson | amzn.to/4hYnqnY
Inside Maverick's: Portrait of a Monster Wave by Doug Acton | amzn.to/4goXCQI
In Waves and War | netflix.com/title/82047468
Find more from Luca:
Luca Padua | instagram.com/lucapadua | youtube.com/@lucapaduaofficial
Bigger Than Waves | instagram.com/biggerthanwaves | biggerthanwaves.com
Find more from Ste:
Ste Lane | instagram.com/thestelane
Radical Health Radio | instagram.com/radicalhealthradio | youtube.com/@UC96khd99jlhF6nNQAV-8mlA
Heart and Soil Supplements | heartandsoil.co | instagram.com/heartandsoilsupplements | https://x.com/heartandsoilhq | youtube.com/channel/UCyf4v0HhGiHc8_ZIiSfd3Ug
