Surfer Lights Himself on Fire, Rides Epic Waves in Tahiti (PHOTOS) | The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel

Jamie O'Brien surfs one of the world's most dangerous waves—while lit on fire.

ByStephanie ValeraJuly 24, 2015


Slideshow

1/6

Jamie O'Brien surfs while lit on fire, in Teahupoo, Tahiti on July 21, 2015. (Ben Thouard/Red Bull Content Pool)


Located on the southwest coast of the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, Teahupoo is commonly referred to as the "heaviest wave in the world." But professional surfer Jamie O'Brien was up for the challenge of taking on one of the world's most dangerous waves—with an additional twist. On Wednesday, July 22, O'Brien was filmed riding the waves of Teahupoo for his original series "Who is JOB 5.0" while lit on fire

Weather in your inbox
By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

"It was a dream wave, and I was on fire," O'Brien told RedBull.com. "It was the biggest adrenaline rush of my life."



O'Brien and his team underwent trial runs both on land and on water in preparation for the stunt. "The craziest thing was getting on the boat in the dark," the Hawaiian surfer said. "The light where you'd normally start paddling out is the light that you need to get lit on fire. And then you're surfing over a razor-sharp reef in a perfect environment and trying to time everything with the whole set. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be."

(MORE: Climber Chris Sharma Scales Giant Redwood Tree With His Bare Hands)

To achieve the stunt, O'Brien had on layers of protective clothing—including a thermal set-up and two wetsuits—adding around 15 pounds to his frame. But it may not have prevented O'Brien from feeling the heat.

He told RedBull.com: "The fire itself is so hot that it burns through the wetsuit and stuff you’re wearing, while you’re in the wave. It’s a lot more intense than you think it would be. The flame lashed me a little bit and got like a quarter of my eyebrow, which I thought was pretty interesting. I thought it was just slap from the water then I realized that I actually got burned a little bit—a singe burn, they call it."

Watch episodes of Who is JOB 5.0 on RedBull.tv.