"It was pretty scary as it was one of the first runs out there and my partner Laurie [Towner] got hurt pretty bad so that he wasn't able to continue filming," he said

Despite being a 15-year veteran of huge swells, Longbottom is all too aware of the risks he takes each time he confronts five-metre waves.

"My brother Darren is a quadriplegic after breaking his neck in a freak surfing accident years ago and it's always in the back of my mind," he said.

"This time I had my brother and Laurie in my head but once I'm out in the water doing it I'm fine."

During filming, Longbottom found himself navigating barrels of waves with seven-metre faces while balancing $50,000 worth of camera equipment.

"I knew what I was getting myself into but it was super dangerous," he said.

Longbottom credits growing up in the Illawarra for his career.

"Growing up in the area we surfed the reef breaks which was a perfect springboard for what came later," he said.

Longbottom's turn in the film provided a boost to the local surfboard manufacturing industry.

"I've been shaping boards for years and the producers had me make all the boards for the movie and more for promotions.

"Those boards are all made by locals here in Wollongong." he said.