Surfer Lights Himself on Fire, Catches Wave off Tahitian Coast

If you've never set your body on fire and gone surfing over a razor-sharp reef, have you ever really lived?

I haven't lived because I refuse to do what Jamie O'Brien recently did at the reef off Teahupo'o on Tahiti's southwestern coast.

Seemingly part of the same expedition that saw Niccolo Porcella get crushed by a monster wave this week, O'Brien—a stuntman/surfer (peak crazy person)—tried something a little different.

Getting out early in the morning (got to have optimal lighting), O'Brien put on a wetsuit and lit himself on fire. He then caught a wave because sometimes you have to do it for the Vine/YouTube.

Red Bull's Nate Hoppes (h/t For The Win's Nate Scott) brings us O'Brien's comments on the stunt. He makes surfing while burning sound exactly as fun as it looks:

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The craziest thing was getting on the boat in the dark. The light where you'd normally start paddling out is the light that you need to get lit on fire. And then you're surfing over a razor-sharp reef in a perfect environment and trying to time everything with the whole set. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And the build-up, the nerves … it still feels like every time I get lit on fire is the first time, because there's a new challenge every time, from the trial runs on land, to taking it to the water, then surfing a wave and eventually weaving through a barrel.

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O'Brien's stunt leaves us with an important question: Does surfing while on fire repel or lure sharks?

One school of thought would suggest the fire would deter any sharks in the area from eating you because ah! This porridge is too hot!

The other theory here is that surfing while on fire is basically sounding a dinner bell for marine predators.

By setting yourself aflame, you are essentially preheating yourself like a human taquito. Sharks rely mostly on smell, and if even a little bit of burnt hair or epidermis smell hits the water, they'll know.

I'm a subscriber to the latter philosophy. I believe setting yourself on fire is just asking for it, as sharks love responding to fiery boat wrecks and just need to wait for you to fall in and extinguish the flames.

In any case, don't set yourself on fire and surf.

Go do literally anything else and leave stuff like that to the paid crazy people.

Dan is on Twitter. He is firmly—oh so firmly—on #TeamDryLand.