Tom OBrien

Tom OBrien

Favorite Haunts: Pipeline, Rocky Point

I am Tom O'Brien, Sr., also known as Poppa O' or TOB.

I was born in NJ, and moved to FL in 1972 when I was smart enough to realize I didn't like cold winters.  I lived in Miami where I was a firefighter for 30 years.  I moved my family to Melbourne Beach in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew destroyed my house.  I moved to Hawaii about a year ago and now live in Aiea and video on the North Shore.

I started videoing when my son Tommy O'Brien and I took our first trip to Hawaii.  I videoed Tommy to help him learn to surf better.  Soon people started calling me to buy surf footage from Sebastian Inlet.

I still video and shoot pictures in Hawaii.  I try to focus on the best waves and surfers visiting from the east coast.  I shoot some stills and take frame grabs from my videos.  I have a lot of archived footage from FL.

Tom OBrien's Photo Galleries

Remember Hurricanes Ernesto, Gordon, Helene?
Over the Falls Ouch!
Pipeline Backdoor Shootout