Jamie O’Brien is one of the best tube riding surfers on the planet, particularly in his backyard at the world’s deadliest wave, the Banzai Pipeline.
But, in addition to his inimitable backside pig-dog approach, JOB has another side to his surfing life. With his wildly successful YouTube channel, paired with constant social media posting, he’s often involved in more viral, somewhat Jackass-eque stunts.
Like, back in 2015, when he lit himself on fire and got tubed at Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
Still, to this day, it’s a memorable moment in surf stunt history. And so, Red Bull decided to toss a throwback post up on the socials, commemorating the crazy session.
So, how did this all come together? Speaking with Red Bull, JOB said:
“I got a direct message on Instagram that said it would be cool if you lit yourself on fire, and I kinda thought, why not? So I went to Red Bull and said, ‘Hey, I want to light myself on fire and get barreled at Teahupo’o.’ They looked at me like, ‘Are you for real?’ and I told them I was and that I knew the right guy, and that’s when they called Riley Harper and his team.”
And, somehow, they pulled it off.
“I caught the best wave of my life today,” JOB said. “It was a dream wave, and I was on fire. It was the biggest adrenaline rush of my life. Everything went super smooth…We just went for it and next thing you know I was in the barrel, I was on fire and flames were wrapping everywhere. It was really cool.”
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