Movies Like Catch the Wave

If you liked Catch the Wave, a movie directed by William Martin, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Orange County (2002)
★ 6/10
Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his dysfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another…
2
Hear Me Out (2021)
★ 6.4/10
Antoine, a history teacher in his early 50s, learns that he has become very hard of hearing. Unable to own up to his handicap, he resigns himself to living in his bubble, even though his entourage finds his behavior…
3
Just One of the Guys (1985)
★ 6.4/10
When Terry Griffith loses her high school's writing competition, she's convinced that it's because she's a girl. So Terry decides to change high schools and pose as a boy to prove her point. Her brother, Buddy, helps…
4
Breath (2017)
★ 6.6/10
A pair of teenagers in Western Australia looking to escape the monotony of life in a small town take up surfing lessons from a guy named Sando.
5
Love Me No More (2008)
★ 7.1/10
Antoine Méliot is around 40 years old and has everything he needs to be happy: a beautiful wife, two adorable children, friends he can count on, a pretty house in the Yvelines and money. But one day he decides to ruin…
6
Maine-Ocean Express (1986)
★ 5.8/10
"Maine-Ocean" is the name of a train that rides from Paris to Saint-Nazaire (near the ocean). In that train, Dejanira, a Brazilian, has a brush with the two ticket inspectors. Mimi, another traveler and also a lawyer…
7
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
★ 7.1/10
The radical true story behind three teenage surfers from Venice Beach, California, who took skateboarding to the extreme and changed the world of sports forever. Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva and Jay Adams are the Z-Boys, a…
8
Freedom-Oleron (2001)
★ 6/10
39 years old Jacques Monot is tired from the same vacation he and his family have every year so he decides to buy a boat.
9
Chasing Mavericks (2012)
★ 7/10
Surfer Jay Moriarity sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.
10
Back to the Beach (1987)
★ 5.9/10
A former beach boy and his wife go to California to visit their daughter and become part of the new beach scene.
11
The Test (2021)
★ 6.1/10
Annie lives in harmony with her husband Laurent and her children: the sensitive elders Maximilien and César; the younger Antoine whom Poupi, never-complaining teen, helps raising him. But a positive pregnancy test will…
12
Accepted (2006)
★ 6.5/10
A high school slacker who's rejected by every school he applies to opts to create his own institution of higher learning, the South Harmon Institute of Technology, on a rundown piece of property near his hometown.
13
Dìdi (弟弟) (2024)
★ 7.2/10
In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
14
Employee of the Month (2022)
★ 6/10
Vincent, a civil servant, has always enjoyed the benefits of his family's status. When the government votes on a massive savings plan, Vincent is pushed out. When he is transferred to the North Pole, he meets Eva and…
15
Overboard (1987)
★ 6.9/10
Heiress Joanna Stayton hires carpenter Dean Proffitt to build a closet on her yacht—and refuses to pay him for the project when it's done. But after Joanna accidentally falls overboard and loses her memory, Dean sees…
16
Soul Surfer (2011)
★ 7/10
The true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.
17
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
★ 7.6/10
On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister…
18
She's the Man (2006)
★ 6.8/10
Viola Hastings is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves…
19
It Takes Two To Tango (2025)
★ 5.9/10
Antoine Toussaint is a famous, disillusioned 70 year-old crooner. On a train to Geneva where he plans to end his life, Antoine meets Victoire, a good-natured fan with a few loose wires. This unlikely encounter thwarts…
20
Riding Giants (2004)
★ 7.6/10
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.