Liam O’Brien Describes the Wave of His Life From the Maw of Gaping Teahupo’o

Teahupo’o is pumping right now, and a select crew of Championship Tour early risers and hard-charging freesurfers found watery orbs of terrifying proportion over the reef in the last week.

Liam O’Brien, the 25-year-old from South Stradbroke Island in his second year on the CT, came to Tahiti to get reps before the upcoming event. What he found was the wave of his life, a properly square vortex that deserves to be a wallpaper. As every inch of the 10-12 foot bomb flexed on the west bowl, O’Brien somehow negotiated the airdrop and then took his hands off the rail as the tube went square—cue channel uproar.

Anyone from South Straddie will tell you O’Brien can sniff and chase down heavy sections like a bloodhound. Modest as he is, O’Brien was quick to nod to other performances, especially the local Tahitians, who stood out on Tuesday.

“I got to witness some pretty ridiculous rides going down,” he said over the phone. “The local guys were absolutely sending it. I was kinda in awe of everything going on out there.”

But his own ride drew acclaim on Instagram from the likes of Griffin Colapinto, Seth Moniz, Benji Brand, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Jamie O’Brien and Julian Wilson. Teahupo’o’s crown prince Matahi Drollet called O’Brien’s beast the bomb of the day.

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The wave came during O’Brien’s second session of the day, just as the wind started to pick up in the afternoon. A smaller crowd with more opportunities. Eventually, O’Brien and his 6’5” DHD were in the right place at the right time.

“I was pretty terrified,” O’Brien recalled. “I’d already missed a few big ones before that wave and I was pretty bummed at myself for chickening out. When I saw the big one come, I was considering it, but it looked so intimidating. As it approached, I ended up in a perfect spot. I don’t know, it was one of those moments where I turned around and everything felt right. As I paddled for it, it let me catch it. For some reason, I had that feeling it was worth trying to make it and not just jumping.

“It was pretty steep. Grabbed the rail, airdropped a bit, and luckily my board caught at the bottom and I got to set my line. Just enjoyed the rest of the ride.

“I was kinda blinded, to be honest. It happened so fast. I was looking out and thought I could relax a bit as I set my line. The wave was drawing so much water off the reef I had to turn the nose toward the beach a bit. I had to have a pretty stable stance. Wasn’t looking too stylish, just hanging on for life. Once I got to the channel, I was pretty happy.”

Related: Is Liam O’Brien’s “Wandering” the Best Surf Edit of 2023?

O’Brien wasn’t taking any chances during this session. He wore a helmet, which he’s used at Pipeline many times before, but this was maybe his third time wearing an impact suit (he’s worn one at Waimea), courtesy of Vissla. 

“I just thought it was a good idea just to have extra padding,” he said. “I have landed on my tailbone out there before pretty hard and got kind of injured. The suit I got has padding right where I landed, so that was appealing to me. Once I had it, it felt stupid not to wear it. It’s pretty big and dangerous out there. Some hectic wipeouts going on.”

During his trips to Tahiti, O’Brien stays with his friend Simon Thorton, an Australian bodyboarder and longtime charger at the End of the Road. He credits Thorton with helping him learn the lineup and feel comfortable there, though at a wave as demanding as Teahupo’o that’s a lifelong pursuit. 

“It’s one of those waves you just have to spend your time and surf it a lot,” he said. “It’s very unique and intense. It takes time to get comfortable and learn how it works. You’ll never master it really, you can get worked so quickly out there. But if you get it right, it’s magical. It’s so unique in that it’s absolutely terrifying but absolutely perfect at the same time. Pretty unreal.”

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