The film profiles teenage Rockhopper penguin Cody (Shia LaBeouf), aspiring champion surfer, as he enters his first pro competition. Followed by a camera crew to document the experience, we see Cody leave his home in Shiverpool and go to Pen Gu Island to take part in the 'Big Z Memorial Surf Off'. Cody believes that winning will bring him the admiration and respect he desires, but when he meets an apparently washed-up old surfer named Geek (Jeff Bridges), Cody begins to find his own way and realises that a true winner doesn't always come first.