The idea was brilliant. Send two surfers – one of the world’s best in big waves, and one of the world’s best all-around – for a massive swell at an incredibly dangerous surf spot, get them to catch the same wave, shoot a photo and you’re done. Just like that, you’ve got the most interesting – and coincidentally, the most daring – surf image ever taken. On Friday August 1, 2014, a photo that had to that point only been a dream, suddenly turned to reality.
Mark Mathews would have the camera in hand, responsible for capturing the image that would change the way we thing about water photography and the lengths photographers are willing to go to in order to get ‘the shot’. Mark has surfed The Right, an infamous beast of a wave in Western Australia, more than anyone else not living in that part of the world. He is familiar with its ins and outs, its moods, its fickle nature. Taj Burrow, on the other hand, lives three hours away and had never surfed there. And for good reason.
The Right is currently the last wave in the world that hasn’t been paddled, and is the wave that gives more two or three-wave hold-downs than any other in the world. But even knowing that – and as scary as that may be – it's still the perfect wave for this style of shot. Because of the size of the barrel you can literally fit two people into the tube who can make it out cleanly.
Taj was meant to take off in front of Mark on a bomb and it was meant to become the best surf photo of all time. And on a number of waves, that happened. They got the shot. This was not one of those waves. Mark was swallowed whole by the wave and experienced all the anger in the sea. He surfaced with a gash on his face and a ruptured eardrum – widely considered the most serious injury in surfing due to its effect on the body’s equilibrium (see: which way is up?). The full story of the expedition to The Right in pursuit of the greatest surf photo of all time, and surely the most daring, will air in a mini-doc this month, exclusively on RedBull.com/Surfing and Stab Magazine.
timboon
Posts: 2961
Date Joined: 14/11/10
Yep
Yep
bod
Posts: 2321
Date Joined: 03/05/06
Thank you
sea-kem
Posts: 15043
Date Joined: 30/11/09
That's insane!!
That's insane!!
Love the West!
Carry
Posts: 657
Date Joined: 22/04/09
Madness
Pure madness
We feel nothing but a certain difficulty in continuing to stand
Ben Derecki
Posts: 1926
Date Joined: 10/10/07
That is sick.
Here's another new one... feel yourself going over the falls at 1:00!
Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
Was actually there trying to
Was actually there trying to fish that day on the land.. Big swell and those guys looked like specks riding those waves.
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
awesome - even the guy on the
awesome - even the guy on the jet ski must be a bit mad
Youtube Channel - FishOnLine Productions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUVNa-ViyGm_FTDSv4Nqzg/videos
jigsaw
Posts: 154
Date Joined: 30/07/11
saw this on the news
http://www.redbull.com/en/surfing/stories/1331668791059/mark-matthews-taj-burrow-and-the-best-surf-photo-ever
The idea was brilliant. Send two surfers – one of the world’s best in big waves, and one of the world’s best all-around – for a massive swell at an incredibly dangerous surf spot, get them to catch the same wave, shoot a photo and you’re done. Just like that, you’ve got the most interesting – and coincidentally, the most daring – surf image ever taken. On Friday August 1, 2014, a photo that had to that point only been a dream, suddenly turned to reality.
Mark Mathews would have the camera in hand, responsible for capturing the image that would change the way we thing about water photography and the lengths photographers are willing to go to in order to get ‘the shot’. Mark has surfed The Right, an infamous beast of a wave in Western Australia, more than anyone else not living in that part of the world. He is familiar with its ins and outs, its moods, its fickle nature. Taj Burrow, on the other hand, lives three hours away and had never surfed there. And for good reason.
The Right is currently the last wave in the world that hasn’t been paddled, and is the wave that gives more two or three-wave hold-downs than any other in the world. But even knowing that – and as scary as that may be – it's still the perfect wave for this style of shot. Because of the size of the barrel you can literally fit two people into the tube who can make it out cleanly.
Taj was meant to take off in front of Mark on a bomb and it was meant to become the best surf photo of all time. And on a number of waves, that happened. They got the shot. This was not one of those waves. Mark was swallowed whole by the wave and experienced all the anger in the sea. He surfaced with a gash on his face and a ruptured eardrum – widely considered the most serious injury in surfing due to its effect on the body’s equilibrium (see: which way is up?). The full story of the expedition to The Right in pursuit of the greatest surf photo of all time, and surely the most daring, will air in a mini-doc this month, exclusively on RedBull.com/Surfing and Stab Magazine.
mw87
Posts: 123
Date Joined: 20/07/11
It has definitely been
Amazing footage there. Balls of steel! It has definitely been paddled into. Not successfully though...
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
LOL
Ryan Hardy has paddled in the Right in years past.
Oh and the surfer/photographer thing was also done by Chad Jackson and Mark Matthews back in 2010.
But I guess none of that counts because it wasn't bankrolled by Red Bull and plastered all over social media within 5 mins
mw87
Posts: 123
Date Joined: 20/07/11
Yep. Those guys pioneered
Yep. Those guys pioneered that wave for sure.
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Beam me up scotty
This looks bloody dangerous.
new age
Posts: 330
Date Joined: 15/03/13
Looks just as gnarly as
Looks just as gnarly as Australia's own shipstern bluff, cape soli, and cyclops.
Ive heard there's a spot not far from here ironically called "the left"?
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
LOL,
yep. The opposite side of the bay