The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez

This summer, Patagonia releases The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez – a film that lifts the veil on one of surfing’s most enigmatic heroes. The film will tour surf destinations and cities across Europe from 14 July, including at the London Surf Film Festival on July 22nd, Ocean Pitch in Devon on July 24th and at the Lighthouse Cinema in Bournemouth on the 4th of September. The film will be live online from the 22nd September, and you can watch the trailer for the film and find a full list of screenings here.

Known as Mr. Pipeline, Hawaii-born surfer Gerry Lopez is known for his calm demeanour and laidback stance in the tube, yet Gerry built his career with aggressive surfing that left behind a trail of blood and tears. Gerry is as radical as he is Zen; he transcends categorisation.

Widely recognised as the best tuberider in the world, Gerry won the Pipeline Masters competition at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii in 1972 and 1973, and founded the Lightning Bolt Surfboards brand, shaping high-performance shortboards embellished with the iconic Lightning Bolt logo.

Stacy Peralta is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and one of the world’s most influential skateboarders. His 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys won him the Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

One of the most influential surfers and surfboard shapers of all time, Gerry is an entrepreneur, a family man, a movie star and a lifelong yogi who brought surfing to new frontiers. His influence on modern surfing is immeasurable. In The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez, Peralta tells his story in full for the first time.