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Check out GoPro footage of a man surfing -- while on fire

Who said fire and water don't mix? They look pretty good together in this new short video that redefines what it means to be an athlete who's "on fire."

Michael Franco
Freelancer Michael Franco writes about the serious and silly sides of science and technology for CNET and other pixel and paper pubs. He's kept his fingers on the keyboard while owning a B&B in Amish country, managing an eco-resort in the Caribbean, sweating in Singapore, and rehydrating (with beer, of course) in Prague. E-mail Michael.
Michael Franco
2 min read

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Don't try this at home. Or anywhere else for that matter. Video screenshot by Michael Franco/CNET

The small but mighty cameras put out by GoPro have filmed some pretty interesting things since they first hit the market in 2004 -- like a marriage proposal at 10,000 feet, a ride on the back of Triple-Crown-winning horse American Pharoah, and even a GoPro's own free fall through the sky after detaching from a skydiver.

But a new video released on the GoPro YouTube channel Tuesday certainly heats things up a lot.

It shows award-winning surfer and overall daredevil Jamie O'Brien riding some awesome waves -- while his wet suit is on fire. Yup, he's pretty much redefining what it means to be an "on fire" surfing star.

The clip comes from a longer video from O'Brien's Red Bull online show called "Who is JOB 5.0?" (those are kind of his initials, by the way). You can catch that episode featuring the stunt here. Or just scroll down to see a great montage of the flaming surfer in action.

O'Brien said the idea for the stunt came after he posted a question on Instagram asking his fans what they wanted to see him do next. Apparently, enough of them asked him to light himself on fire that that's what he did.

After training with a professional stunt crew in Los Angeles, O'Brien headed over to Tahiti to surf the wave known as Teahupoo or "The End of the Road," which he said is the most dangerous in the world. Because, after all, when you're going to light yourself on fire and go surfing, why not do it in a place with really scary conditions?

If you just can't get enough "guy surfing while on fire footage," you can also check out this bonus clip on the Red Bull site.