Jamie O'Brien (surfer)

Last updated

James Duncan O'Brien (born June 9, 1983) is a professional surfer from the North Shore, Hawaii.

Contents

Jamie O'Brien
Personal information
BornJames Duncan O'Brien
(1983-06-09) 9 June 1983 (age 41)
Kahuku, Hawaii [1]
NicknameJOB
Residence Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii Banzai Pipeline
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [1]
Weight208 lb (94 kg) [2]
Surfing career
Years active2001–present
Career earnings$122,400 [1]
SponsorsBuell wetsuits, Red Bull, GoPro, Tokoro surfboards, Catch Surf, Nectar sunglasses, Tools, Vestal Watches, Cariuma, Blenders Eyewear, GMC Honolulu [3] [4]
Major achievements
  • 2003 Hansen Pipeline Pro winner
  • 2004 Billabong Pipeline Masters winner
  • 2004 Fosters Expression Trestles winner
  • 2009 Rip Curl Invitational winner
  • 2010 Volcom Pipeline Pro [2]
  • Surfers' Hall of Fame inductee
Surfing specifications
StanceNatural (regular) foot
Shaper(s)Wade Tokoro [5]
Favourite waves Pipeline
Favourite maneuvers Barrels
Website jamieobrien.com
One of Jamie O'Brien's signature Beater Board models from Catch Surf. Jamie O'Brien Model Beater Board.jpg
One of Jamie O'Brien's signature Beater Board models from Catch Surf.

Career

Jamie grew up near one of the most notorious waves on the planet, with a home in front of the Banzai Pipeline, on the surfing Mecca of Oahu’s North Shore. He started competing in local surf contests when he was about six years old and carried on into his early 20s. [6]

O'Brien has said that he was fortunate as a child to grow up near the Banzai Pipeline. He is one of the youngest surfers ever to win a Pipeline Masters. [7]

Jamie's father, Australian Mick O'Brien, was a lifeguard. Jamie has said that one of the things that got him interested in surfing was talking to many of the regular surfers on his dad's beach. [8]

Jamie has many achievements to his name. These achievements include the Pipeline Masters in 2001, in which he took 4th place after just recovering from a groin injury. His success continued with 1st place at Hansen's Pipeline Pro in 2003, 1st place in the 2004 Fosters Expression Trestles and the Rip Curl Pipeline Masters at 21 years of age, [2] 1st in the 2009 Rip Curl Invitational, and 1st in the inaugural Volcom Pipe Pro back in 2010. Jamie also had many other outstanding performances throughout the WSL qualifying series and the championship tour. [9]

O'Brien produced two surfing films, Freakshow and Freakside. [10] He also appeared in Step into Liquid and Blue Crush. [8] He is the star of the video series "Who is JOB," which ended with the final episode [11] posted on Oct 18, 2019, for a total of 9 seasons on YouTube.

In 2005 O'Brien received Surfer Magazine's Boost Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award for an up-and-coming athlete with an impact on the sport for years to come. [8]

In 2016 Jamie O'Brien assisted in the rescue of a bodyboarder who had wiped out and was drowning, by paddling out with a foam board to help Guilherme Tamega who was trying to bring the victim to shore. [12]

Jamie is also the owner and founder of Jamie O'Brien Surf Experience, a North Shore surf school that gives surf lessons in conjunction with the Turtle Bay Resort.

Related Research Articles

<i>Blue Crush</i> 2002 film

Blue Crush is a 2002 American sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 Outside magazine article "Life's Swell". It stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. The film tells the story of three friends who have one passion: living the ultimate dream of surfing on Hawaii's famed North Shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Slater</span> American surfer (born 1972)

Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, and holds 56 Championship Tour victories. He won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year four-times. Slater is also the oldest surfer still active on the World Surf League, winning his 8th Billabong Pipeline Masters title at age 49.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunny Garcia</span> American surfer (born 1970)

Vincent Sennen "Sunny" Garcia is an American professional surfer from Waianae, Hawaii. After leaving school he debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ Tom Carroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banzai Pipeline</span> Surf reef break in Hawaii, United States

The Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline or Pipe, is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef. Pipeline is known for huge waves that break in shallow water just above a sharp and cavernous reef, forming large, hollow, thick curls of water that surfers can tube ride. There are three reefs at Pipeline in progressively deeper water farther out to sea that activate according to the increasing size of approaching ocean swells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Van Artsdalen</span>

Charles M. Van Artsdalen was a surfer. He moved to La Jolla, California, from his birthplace of Norfolk, Virginia, at age 14. Van Artsdalen is best known as a pioneer of surfing 25-foot waves at such North Shore locations as Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach; and tube riding in Hawaii during the early 1960-1970s. A member of the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Team, he appeared in several surf movies and remained a fixture of the international surfing community until his death from alcohol-related illness in 1979.

Bruce Irons is an American regularfoot professional surfer from Hanalei, Kauai, and is often regarded as one of the best tuberiders of all time. He is the younger brother of three-time world champion Andy Irons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Fanning</span> Australian surfer (born 1981)

Michael Eugene Fanning is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals/World Surf League (ASP/WSL)'s World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he survived a shark attack by what is suspected to be a great white shark during the J-Bay Open finals in Jeffreys Bay.

The Pipe Pro is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1971 and has been sponsored by Yeti Coolers, who have a three year partnership in place, which began in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John John Florence</span> American professional surfer (born 1992)

John "John John" Alexander Florence is an American professional surfer. He is considered one of the most dominant pipe surfers of his era and won back-to-back world titles on the 2016 World Surf League and 2017 World Surf League Men's Championship Tour. He is the first Hawaii-born surfer to win back-to-back world titles since the late Andy Irons. Florence qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in surfing's debut, as well as qualified for the Paris Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alana Blanchard</span> American professional surfer and model (born 1990)

Alana Rene Blanchard is an American professional surfer and model. Blanchard has surfed on the ASP World Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Fitzgibbons</span> Australian surfer (born 1990)

Sally Fitzgibbons is an Australian professional surfer on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour (2009–2013). In June 2019, she was ranked No. 1 in the world for women's surfing after winning the Rio Pro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore (Oahu)</span> Coast of Oʻahu

The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oʻahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oʻahu between Kaʻena Point and Kahuku. The largest settlement is Haleʻiwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriano de Souza</span> Brazilian surfer

Adriano "Mineirinho" de Souza is a Brazilian professional surfer and also the 2015 WSL World Champion. He has been competing on the World Surf League Men's World Tour since 2005.

Evan Geiselman has been a competing surfer since the age of seven. He has won 12 East Coast Championship titles. He is the younger brother of professional surfer Eric Geiselman. He has been trying to be part of the ASP World Championship Tour for three years now, but the Qualification Series are competitive. He didn't get the results he was hoping for on the 2014 WQS. At the beginning of 2014, he moved from San Clemente, California back home, to New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Wright (surfer)</span> Australian surfer

Owen Wright is an Australian professional surfer on the World Surf League Men's Championship Tour. His sister, Tyler Wright, is also a competitor on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Medina</span> Brazilian professional surfer (born 1993)

Gabriel Medina Pinto Ferreira is a Brazilian professional surfer. He won the 2014, 2018 and 2021 WSL World Championships, and has the second-most World Titles, behind Kelly Slater. In two appearances at the Olympic surfing tournament, Medina won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michel Bourez</span> French surfer (born 1986)

Michel Bourez is a French professional surfer.

Moanalani Jones Wong is an American surfer who has been called the "Queen of Pipeline".

Tamayo Perry was an American professional surfer, lifeguard and actor. He was a regular fixture on Oahu's Banzai Pipeline, one of the world's most notable reef surf breaks, and was considered as one of the most prominent pipeline specialists of all time. His death was the first fatal shark attack on Oahu in over 20 years.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jamie O'Brien". World Surf League. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jamie O'Brien I just let my surfing tell the story". Red Bull Australia. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  3. ↑ "Jamie O'Brien - Hawaii". Surfersvillage. Archived from the original on 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  4. ↑ "JAMIE O'BRIEN". buellsurf.com. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2020-04-23. [...] Inked a lifetime deal with Buell Wetsuits
  5. ↑ Preisendorfer, Rusty (24 June 2009). "The Secret Behind Displacement and Big-Guy Shortboards". Surfline. Archived from the original on 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  6. ↑ "Jamie O'Brien". Red Bull. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  7. ↑ "O'Brien, Jamie" . Encyclopedia of Surfing. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  8. 1 2 3 Kewley, Gary (8 December 2014). "Talk Story With Pro Surfer Jamie O'Brien Wednesday Night At Surfer, The Bar". Surf News Network. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  9. ↑ "Jamie O'Brien Surfer Bio - 2018 Men's Championship Tour Event Results". World Surf League. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  10. ↑ "Jamie O'Brien: Freak Show". SurferToday. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Final Episode of Who is JOB? - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  12. ↑ Haro, Alexander (4 March 2016). "Lifeguards and Jamie O'Brien Just Saved a Bodyboarder's Life at Pipeline". The Inertia. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.