Sydney, Australia, July 6, 2009 – O’Neill surfer Mark Mathews has scored one of the biggest and heaviest barrels ever ridden – in shark infested waters some 20km off the coast of Western Australia.
“It had been really slow all day and I hadn’t had any good ones,” said Mark. “Then this mountain came roaring out from the horizon I got goose bumps all over as soon as I saw it. I looked up at Hippo (Ryan Hipwood) who was on the jet ski and he didn’t even smile he just said “this thing’s huge.”
“There was so much water sucking off the reef. I just kept my eyes right in front of me and hoped the corner of the barrel wasn’t about to lip me in the head.”
Trying to describe the sensation, Mark said: “Big barrels like that feel like they are alive. They suck all the air inside. That’s what surfers mean when they say they felt the wave take a breath.”
“You feel like you’re surrounded by the whole ocean. The air has nowhere left to go and just gets spat out into the channel, taking you with it. This is the feeling that keeps coming back over and over and over again.”
“This one can be topped,” said Mark. “It’s the thrill of the chase that keeps me going.”
Watch the video on www.oneilltv.com or www.oneill.com
Video and photos available for download on press.oneill.com
For more information contact press.oneill.com
Photo: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-city-next-to-the-water-zL7C-G2U7sw Halifax received a major boost in investments in 2025 across defence, technology, and…
KYC, Source of Funds and Frozen Withdrawals: What Canadian Casino Players Need to Know in…
More than 500,000 Canadians proudly call Halifax their home. Not only is this an extremely…
HRP release: On December 6 at approximately 12:20 p.m., officers responded to a report of…
HRP release: On December 6 at approximately 12:20 p.m., officers responded to a report of…
Organising a move is always a complex undertaking, and when it comes to office moves,…
