In Arizona, eighteen-year-old surfing enthusiast Rick Kane dreams of making a career as a professional surfer. After Rick wins the Arizona state surfing championship, held in a wave tank, he decides to forgo his scholarship to a New York City art school and use the $500 prize money to go to Hawaii for the surf season. Once on the island of Oahu, Rick goes to Club Hubba Hubba strip club to connect with bartender Ed Lusky whom he met at a surfing competition in Arizona six months ago. Ed promised him a place to stay if he is ever in Hawaii, but reneges on the offer. However, Rick meets two professional surfers at the club who take him to the island’s North Shore where the big waves come in. The next morning, Rick awakens to see amazing waves coming in and joins his friends in the ocean. However, he quickly realizes that surfing in the ocean is very different from surfing in a wave tank. Nonetheless, they have fun surfing until some native islanders, known as “Hui,” arrive and are upset to see strangers on what they consider their beach. The Hui surfers chase Rick and his friends away. When he gets back to the beach, Rick discovers the bag with all his belongings has been stolen. While examining the rooms for rent signs posted in a local store, Rick meets a surfer named “Turtle,” who warns him not to mess with the Hui. Turtle takes him to a party where Rick meets his idol, professional surfer Lance Burkhart, who comes across as arrogant. He also meets Chandler, a surfboard “shaper” who builds custom surfboards for people, including Lance Burkhart. Rick flirts with a native girl named Kiani, but Vince, one of the Hui who chased him off the beach, also chases him away from Kiani, who is his cousin. The next day, Turtle takes Rick to the famed Banzai Pipeline section of the North Shore, where the tallest waves come in. Rick takes the surfboard Chandler has made for Lance Burkhart into the water, but is dissatisfied with it, saying the board is too thick. Chandler tells him the board is built for speed, not for showing off, or “hot dogging” as the surfers say. Rick surfs some with his own surfboard, but is thrown over by a big wave. His board is split in two and Rick gets cut by coral reefs in the ocean. Kiani, who witnesses his accident, warns that the cuts will get infected and he will get “reef rash.” She rubs the juice from an aloe vera plant in the cuts to help it heal. Rick and Kiani almost kiss, but she pulls back and runs away. Turtle says Kiani has witnessed plenty of good surfers who “wipe out” and has never helped them with their cuts, so Rick must be special. Back at his surf board shop, Chandler comes in with a box of drawing tools and art supplies he bought for $20 at a pawn shop. Rick tells Chandler the box is his, stolen from the beach, and shows off his drawings inside the box. Chandler is impressed by Rick’s talent and gives him back the box, provided Rick works off the $20 he spent on it by doing tasks around the shop. In the days that follow, Chandler shows Rick the intricacies of crafting a custom surf board and also teaches him many things about the ocean, including that the wave breaks where the water is half as deep as the wave is tall. When Rick designs a new logo for Chandler’s surfboard shop, an impressed Chandler tells him he should go to art school because it would be a shame to waste all his talent. Rick goes on a date with Kiani, who has been caring for her three younger brothers since the death of their parents. She takes him to the ruins of an ancient temple where she shows him how to wrap a lava rock in a ti plant leaf, place it on the altar and make a wish. Later, Rick wins a fight with one of the local Hui, and consequently wins the admiration of Kiani’s cousin, Vince. However, after the fight, Kiani says she cannot see Rick anymore. Rick and Chandler go surfing and do well. A local photographer named “Professor” says he can get Rick’s photograph in some surfing magazines, but it will help if Rick enters and does well in the Pipeline World Classic surfing championship. Rick is enthusiastic about entering, but Chandler says such contests bring out the worst in people and he does not believe the “killer instinct” should be encouraged. He is a “soul surfer” who surfs for enjoyment, not to show off, as so many of the contestants like to do. When the Pipeline Classic starts, officials explain that the sixteen amateurs who survive the elimination will get a chance to face off against ten top professionals. The winner will receive a $10,000 prize. Rick comes in second place in the semi-finals and then earns second place in the finals among the amateurs. Kiani congratulates him on doing so well and the two make love on the beach. Having decided to take his art scholarship after all, Rick asks Kiani to come to New York City with him, but she refuses, saying she must take care of her family. In the finals against the professionals, Lance Burkhart and Rick are behind when the water turns calm. With time running out, a wave appears and the two paddle their surf boards to it. Just as Rick is about to ride the wave, Lance pulls on Rick’s board’s leash, causing Rick to wipe out. Lance rides the wave and wins the contest. Once back on shore, Chandler says he intends to file a protest over what Lance did. However, Rick asks him not to do so. Echoing something Chandler told him, Rick says it is just a contest and not something to get upset about. He never expected to get as far as he did, so he is satisfied. However, Rick boasts to Lance that they both know who really won the contest. Chandler drives Rick to the airport and gives him a surf board as a good-bye present. Turtle brings Kiani to the airport to say good-bye. She says she wrapped a lava rock in a ti plant leaf and made a wish for Rick to return to North Shore someday. Just before Rick boards the plane, Turtle shows him the headline in the newspaper which reads, “Surf Champion Cheats.” Rick promises them he will be back.