Mark Matthews
Australian Mark Matthews is like an astronaut seeking out new frontiers with what is possible to ride. He is more than a hell man, he is a true anomaly. The waves he is riding are on the realm of unfathomable. Shipsterns Bluff, unknown slabs of West Australia, big Pipe…whatever you want to throw at him he is ready to take it to the next level.
Two years ago during the Monster Pro at Pipeline he pulled into a legitimate 12' foot beast and rode one of the gnarliest waves ever ridden in competition. The event commentators where beside themselves at what they had just witnessed. Mark pulled in behind the bowl and stared into the face of what looked like certain death. The wave went below sea level, where he drove through the cavern like a man possessed and was blown out of the barrel by a massive spitball. All that witnessed this feat sat in disbelief at what they had just seen.
Prior to this wave the rumor mill was that Mark was the ultimate charger. All the insiders and fellow surfers knew of his reputation but it seemed that wave pushed him front and center into the limelight.
Since then he has been chasing giant swells and has graced magazine pages worldwide. Mark is an amazing talent and an incredibly hard worker that has taken big wave riding to the next level.
O'Neill surfer Mark Mathews has scored one of the biggest and heaviest barrels ever ridden – in shark infested waters some 20km off the coast of Western Australia.
The 26 year old from Maroubra in Sydney waited about six hours in order to get this incredible 15 second ride.
"It had been really slow all day and I hadn't had any good ones," said Mark. "Then this mountain came roaring out from the horizon I got goose bumps all over as soon as I saw it. I looked up at Hippo (Ryan Hipwood) who was on the jet ski and he didn't even smile he just said "this thing's huge."
"There was so much water sucking off the reef. I just kept my eyes right in front of me and hoped the corner of the barrel wasn't about to lip me in the head."
Trying to describe the sensation, Mark said: "Big barrels like that feel like they are alive. They suck all the air inside. That's what surfers mean when they say they felt the wave take a breath."
"You feel like you're surrounded by the whole ocean. The air has nowhere left to go and just gets spat out into the channel, taking you with it. This is the feeling that keeps coming back over and over and over again."
"This one can be topped," said Mark. "It's the thrill of the chase that keeps me going."