If it’s heaving, you just know Laurie’s gonna go.
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When Billabong sent 19-year-old Laurie Towner to one of the scariest waves on the planet during a massive swell with top-shelf pros Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson in 2006, few expected the Angourie hell boy to actually step up to the plate — much less rule the whole field.

While most of the crew spent the day getting towed into terrifying kegs at Shipstern’s Bluff, Laurie casually paddled into the bomb of the day — and cemented his reputation as a heavy-water star. Towner almost immediately switched from competing in pro contests to chasing big waves and backless slabs all over the world as a professional freesurfer for Billabong, resulting in XXL Awards, video parts and magazine covers galore.

But the career of a daredevil can be a fickle one. Towner was only 25 when he lost his main sponsor despite nonstop accolades and countless brushes with death. It turned out to be blessing in disguise as he was able to focus on his young family while remaining a standout in historic swell events, from the Code Red Swell at Teahupo’o to the Thundercloud Reef sessions in Fiji. Now, with a fresh sponsor and a newfound focus on Jaws, Laurie Towner’s best may be yet to come.

Additional footage by Tim Bonython

Episode Highlights:

0:00 Growing up in Angourie, Surfing the more raw, powerful reefs/slabs around Angourie, Competing in the amateurs, Becoming a pro surfer

14:30 Laurie’s iconic wave at Shipstern’s at 19 years old, Switching from contests to chasing heavy waves, Becoming a professional freesurfer for Billabong, The trip to Tasmania with Andy Irons and Parko

23:32 Deciding that his path was to chase big waves, Training in big slabs in Oz before “big waves” elsewhere, Losing his sponsor at 25, His relationship with big Teahupoo, The Code Red Swell, Being selective at a place like Teahupoo

36:44 Getting on the “Point Break” movie stuntman crew, Nearly killing himself while filming

50:23 Losing sponsor becoming a blessing, Watching his children grow up, Getting sponsored by needessentials, Getting the wave of his life at Cloudbreak

56:44 Getting sponsored again and surfing big Jaws, What it takes to make a big-wave surfer, Advice to young big-wave surfers

1:31:02 Laurie’s 5-to-Finish

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