On this Spring day in 2006, Andy Irons and a handful of Billabong’s top riders (including Joel Parkinson) joined the Tasmanian crew out at the crazy Shipstern’s Bluff to have a dig at taming some beasts.
While Andy took to the mutant wave with ease, his 19 year-old teammate Laurie Towner stole the show with what Andy described as “the biggest paddle-in barrel ever” (the first wave in this clip).
Limits have since been pushed, but this grainy and rare footage, converted from old 16mm slide film by videographer Dave Otto, gives you a real sense of the brotherhood big wave chargers share, and the hoots and whistles that motivate them to launch into the abyss.
WARNING: Contains strong language.
