Jamie O’Brien Surfs Waimea River Wave with First-Timer Italo Ferreira (Watch)
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
When it’s raging, the Waimea River wave is no joke.
Just ask Jamie O’Brien from December of last year – “I knew that it was going to be the biggest river wave ever ridden,” he said. And he wasn’t wrong.
More recently, JOB took on the Waimea River once again; and he brought a first-timer with him, World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Italo Ferreira.
“When the waves are flat on the North Shore, we need to make waves,” says JOB as he starts shoveling out the reservoir to create the wave.
As for Italo, he joked that the reason he’s never surfed it is because he never got an invite:
“I’ve come to Hawaii for like 10 years, and I never surfed the river,” he said. “Jamie never texted me. [Laughs.]”
So, how’d they go?
JOB is a master at the Waimea River wave. He’s got that thing dialed. Italo had a little bit of a different approach. He tried riding it like a normal wave, which isn’t usually advised, but Italo is known for some uncanny things when it comes to surfing.
“He was riding it like a normal wave, like doing backside vert snaps…killing it,’ said JOB. “Now we just gotta get it bigger. It’s harder than it looks, yeah? That was an epic sesh. Italo’s first time."
View the original article to see embedded media.
For a reminder of just how big the wave can get, check out the vid above.
And here’s a snippet from JOB of just went down:
“I couldn’t control my board, and I honestly just fell right back. It’s like a 10 or 12 foot wave, and it sucked me back. Then there was another wave, and it was just as big, and I’m like, ‘oh my god. I’m gonna die. My leash is gonna break. I’m in a very bad spot.”
***
Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.
