VIDEO: Aussie stuntman gives new meaning to ‘riding the waves’
[caption id="attachment_94750" align="aligncenter" width="480"] SURF STYLE: Stuntman Robbie Maddison ‘rides’ a wave. Picture: TWITTER[/caption]
AUSTRALIAN stuntman Robbie Maddison has surfed a series of waves in Tahiti while riding a purpose-built motorbike fitted to a pair of skis and a tyre.
Labelled the Australian Evil Knievel, Maddison, who doubled for Daniel Craig in the James Bond film Skyfall, admitted that he thought he would die as the largest wave broke behind him.
In footage of the wave, he appears to be swamped by it before emerging from the spray.
“The thing that sticks with me the most after that whole experience was how physically demanding it was,” he told Surfer Magazine. “I don’t think the photos or video show how physical it was.
“You can’t see that, when the wave broke right behind me, I honestly thought that might be the end of my life. I’ve never felt like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time more than I did right there.”
Maddison, 34, has become known for a series of unusual stunts, including back-flipping over the open Tower Bridge in London, leaping across the Corinth Canal in Greece and riding off the Olympic ski jump in Salt Lake City.
He said he had surfed in Australia since he was eight years old and had the idea for the stunt while watching his wife ride a wakeboard, which is similar to a snowboard but used on water. He spent two years modifying his motorbike and attaching skis to the front wheel and a propeller tyre on the back.
“Something clicked in my head,” he said. “It was a stupid vision at the time, but I kept toying with it, playing with designs and concepts, and eventually it became a reality.”
Maddison’s stunt was performed at Teahupoo in Tahiti, known for its powerful surf breaks, and quickly received accolades from professional surfers.
“I never thought I would see this!” Australian professional surfer Bede Durbidge tweeted. “. . . So crazy!” Watch the video here: –Jonathan Pearlman - The Telegraph
