Patrick Swayze was an accomplished skydiver, and took part in the big skydiving scene. He made fifty-five jumps in total.
The film was originally called "Johnny Utah" when Keanu Reeves was cast in the title role. The studio felt that this title said very little about surfing, and by the time Patrick Swayze was cast, the film had been renamed Riders on the Storm after the famous song by The Doors. However, the lyrics had nothing to do with the film, and so that title was also rejected. It was not until halfway through filming that "Point Break" became the film's title, because of its relevance to surfing.
Two months before filming, Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Lori Petty trained with former world class professional surfer Dennis Jarvis on Kauai, Hawaii. Jarvis remembers, "Patrick said he'd been on a board a couple of times, Keanu definitely had not surfed before, and Lori had never been in the ocean in her life."
Patrick Swayze, who participated in skydiving as a hobby, was told to stop, for insurance purposes, once production began. Producers coaxed him into the agreement with the promise of letting the star do one actual skydive on-screen. The uncut shot of Bodhi yelling "Adios amigo!" and falling from the plane features Swayze actually making a jump. Unbeknownst to the producers, when not on the day's call sheet Swayze and others would occasionally run out to an airport and go skydiving anyway.
Keanu Reeves observed real FBI agents in Los Angeles to study for the role. He also practised with UCLA quarterback coaches to help with the football scene.