O’Brien told Red Bull it was far from an impromptu adventure, especially given the preparation that went into the stunt.
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O’Brien literally lit himself on fire and proceeded to surf at the reef in Teahupo’o, on the southwestern coast of Tahiti.
The latest installment of Who is JOB 5.0 will air on Red Bull TV on August. 7, and will include behind-the-scenes clips from O’Brien’s impressive ride Wednesday. Things get interesting as the wave breathes, and in the hero shot we see Jamie’s flame flare with all the oxygen being blown around.
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 into Red Bull and I said hey, I want to light myself on fire and go into a barrel at Teahupo’o”, O’Brien says. It was a dream wave, and I was on fire.
“Then I had a hoodie on and a Body Glove wetsuit on top of that, and I was just right there ready for fire!”
Surfing one of the world’s biggest waves is scary enough at the best of times – especially when you decide to do it while wreathed in fire. “It was the biggest adrenaline rush of my life”. It took a team of almost 25 people including members of fire safety, water safety, production crew and photographers who all came together to make Jamie’s dream of surfing on fire a reality, and the result was indescribable. “It’s a really insane feeling that you can’t even explain. Something totally different than anything I’ve ever done before”.
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You can also watch the full video here.
