Robert grew up across the street from the infamous Doheny State Beach in Southern California and started taking surf pics at the age of 16.
Turns out that what might be the world’s largest wave is also accessible from that same location but 100 miles out to sea, Cortes Bank. Obsessed with being able to launch and go at a moments notice he owned over 8 motorboats over those years and hit Mavericks, Todos Santos and a record 14 trips to Cortes Banks including the last trip out on January, 2023 for the HBO 100 foot wave series. Season 3 is coming up and will feature the trip we did that was around 75 feet and the hollowest and most perfect Brown had ever seen.
The image picked to showcase is of Mike Parsons surfing a Guiness book world record wave after being towed in by Brad Gerlach at Cortes Bank, January 5, 2008. This trip was featured on ESPN and was the most rewarding adventure ever achieved by this photographer as conditions on the coastline were nearly impossible to boat out into. Numerous Winter storms had combined to make extremely rough conditions as well as an almost impossible calculation that it would be surfable by time they arrived. In the end, a window of opportunity was achieved and numerous record setting waves were ridden and we came home all safe. This particular wave happened as the sun broke through the clouds and the wind went still to offshore for an hour or so between the next storm.
Masters Image: Mike Parsons on his record setting wave from Jan 8, 2005
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