Bay Area Revelations

Surfing will make its debut in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but the sport made its debut in the Bay Area more than 130 years ago in Santa Cruz. In this installment of our award-winning documentary series, we’ll take you to three main areas in the Bay Area that attract people from all over the world.

In this installment of our Emmy-award winning documentary series, Bay Area Revelations, we profile how the people of Asia profoundly shaped the modern Bay Area.

This installment of “Bay Area Revelations” examines how Asians and Asian Americans profoundly shaped the modern Bay Area.

The Bay Area is home to some of the best female athletes in the world. They’ve won gold medals, made history and broke world records. In the latest installment of our award-winning documentary series, we take a look at how these female athletes are changing the game and paving the way for others.

Cecilia Chiang was the matriarch of Chinese food in America. She brought a new sophistication to the cuisine, leaving the chop suey and chow mein era food behind. Chiang made her name as the owner and restaurateur of the Mandarin, once located in Ghirardelli Square. NBC Bay Area interviewed Chiang as part of its award-winning documentary series “Bay Area Revelations.”

Drake Stanley moved from Southern California to Half Moon Bay to be closer to some of the best big waves in California. Stanley’s day job to pay the bills is a chef. When he’s not cooking, he’s out at Mavericks on high surf advisory days to help save surfers who wipe out.

Santa Cruz’s Bob Pearson has been shaping surfboards for more than 40 years. Surfers call him the “master.” In this video, he gives us a tour of “Pearson Arrow Surf’s” production facility in Santa Cruz and shows us the step-by-step process it takes to make a surfboard.

View a preview of our next episode in our Bay Area Revelations series, “Riding the Waves.”

Luca Padua first surfed at Mavericks at 13-years-old. Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, Padua watched the waves from a distance. In this clip, Padua shares what he remembers most seeing those giant waves up close for the first time.

Surfing made its official debut in the Bay Area more than 130 years. We’ll visit three popular surfing areas: San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, Mavericks Half Moon Bay, and the World Surfing Reserve in Santa Cruz

“There’s always a choice of where you want to go,” those words from Kim Stoner, co-founder of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. Surfing began in North America in Santa Cruz in 1885. It’s also one of nine World Surfing Reserves.

Survival and beat downs. In this video clip, surf photographer Sachi Cunningham describes what it’s like for surfers at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Cunningham is often seen out photographing female big wave surfers.

“The challenge of the hunt is what attracts you,” Grant Washburn has competed in every Mavericks competition. He’s surfed his home beach, San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, for 30 years. For Washburn, everything revolves around hunting waves because it’s that hard. He says years of training, months of waiting and watching, is worth that one moment.

Jeff Clark is the man known for discovering Mavericks in Half Moon Bay. He first surfed there when he was 17-years-old. Waves at Mavericks can get as high as 60 feet. In this video clip, Clark explains the feeling he gets when he catches one of those giant waves.

“I’ve been an advocate ever since I was 7 years old,” big wave surfer Bianca Valenti isn’t one to back down. What started as an individual fight to compete at Mavericks, led Valenti on a four-year fight for all young girls. Women won. Starting in 2019, equal prize money will be awarded for men and women...

Surfing will make its debut in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but the sport made its debut in the Bay Area more than 130 years ago in Santa Cruz. The Bay Area is where the invention of the wetsuit began. And, the best surfers come to the Bay Area for the biggest waves. In this installment of our award-winning documentary…

If you missed an episode or want to check out what the series is about, here’s an archive of some of our past episodes. Follow us on twitter @RevelationsNBC. Riding the Waves Female Sports Icons Loma Prieta Earthquake: 30 Years Later Exploring Space Evolution of Video Games America’s Wine Country Sexual Revolutionaries Champions of Baseball Asian American Pioneers Cannabis...

Kim Chambers set a world record as part of open water swimmers who became the first to swim across the Dead Sea. In this clip, Chambers talks about the challenges and mission behind this historic swim. Chambers is the first and only woman to ever swim from the Farrallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge .

Hakone Gardens in Saratoga is a national treasure. It is one of the oldest Japanese gardens in the nation. Meet the gardener behind Hakone.

“I’m probably a really bad skating mom,” that’s how Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi describes herself when watching her daughter, Emma, skate.