There are surfers who will ride big waves and then there are surfers who go above and beyond in the pursuit. The ones that study the weather maps religiously, and then drop everything when purple blobs show up on the other side of the world. O’Neill team rider Russ Bierke is one of those rare birds. Bursting to big wave recognition after winning the Red Bull Cape Fear event at the tender age of 18. From that point on, Russ has stamped himself as one of the best big wave riders the world has seen and with a deep respect from the very best worldwide. Not one to talk about himself, Russ lets his actions in the water do all the talking.
Recently Russ spotted one of those blobs in the Pacific and quickly packed his trusty guns shaped by his dad, a few key O’Neill wetsuits and his TVLR series gear. Heading to a place like Teahupoo, is definitely not for the fainthearted, and to do what Russ does always comes with a high risk. As shown in this image of his freefall from the lip.
One week its charging Tahiti, the next a south swell in the Aussie bush and then maybe a 2 day drive to the desert to find a rogue dusty reef.
Its out there, but it is all about the calling and who hears it most. Get em Russ.
Photo credit @ https://www.instagram.com/samvennphotography/ 📷
