You can probably guess which one was the more expensive wave. Photo: Jamie O’Brien // YouTube
Can you make a wave in your backyard for a hundred dollars? Well, no, not really. But that didn’t stop Jamie O’Brien from giving it the ol’ college try. In a return to his novelty wave roots, JOB went down to San Clemente, California to try out tarp surfing. He then followed that up with a trip to the Surf Ranch, for good measure.
In case you haven’t heard of it, tarp surfing is the practice of riding a DIY “wave” by dragging a massive plastic tarp across the pavement. It’s been around since about 2010, when several groups of San Clemente residents started posting viral videos of skateboarders carving up the aforementioned plastic tubes. Interestingly, the official origins of the pastime are somewhat up for debate, with several groups claiming to have invented it. One of those groups was the family of Robert Brady, who showed JOB the ropes in this most recent effort.
Where things took a unique turn, however, was the followup. After riding a poor man’s wave pool in San Clemente, O’Brien turned around and went in the complete opposite direction. Next up was a session at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, quite possibly the most expensive wave on the planet. “This wave literally can cost up to $100,000,” explained JOB upon arrival. “And we’re going to figure out exactly why. And since every wave is so expensive, I don’t want to blow it.”
In the end, he got what he paid for. The Pipe master logged a memorable session at one of the most mechanically perfect breaks in the world, no hardware store trip required.
