Teahupo'o
Encyclopedia
Teahupoo is a village on the south-west coast of the island of Tahiti
, French Polynesia
, southern Pacific Ocean
.
It is known for the surf break and heavy, glassy waves
offshore, often reaching 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) and up to 70 feet. It is the site of the annual Billabong
Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association
.
Bodyboarding
pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson
were the first to surf Teahupo'o in 1986 and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders. Few professional surfers rode Teahupo'o during the early 1990s and it was only in 1998, at the Gotcha Tahiti Pro, that Teahupo'o became widely recognized as having some of the heaviest waves in the world. On August 17, 2000 Laird Hamilton
is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden, documented in the film Riding Giants
. In 2003 the late Malik Joyeux
successfully rode one of the largest waves ever ridden.
On October 31, 2008 surfer Ian Walsh towed the biggest Teahupoʻo wave of the season. Video footage of this ride was later used in a Red Bull energy drink ad campaign seen around the world.
Keala Kennelly
was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupo'o in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest.
This challenging break has been conquered by many top windsurfers, including Jason Polakow and Levi Siver. Jeremie Eloy, Julien Sudrat and Yannick Salmon were the first kitesurfers to ride Teahupo'o on September 14, 2006.
. The swells mainly break left, but the outer reef also creates right breaks that surfers must be cautious of when paddling out. Teahupo'o is also renowned for the consistent number of barrels
it delivers. It is a rewarding location and is widely regarded as being on the 'must-surf' list of every enthusiastic surfer. However, only experienced surfers in peak physical condition should attempt Teahupo'o; heavy waves combined with a shallow shoreline can result in serious injuries and even death in a wipeout.
Teahupo'o's legendary reputation for wave riding is partly due to its unique form. An extremely shallow coral reef
, which ranges up to 20 inches beneath the waters surface, is responsible for a very hollow-breaking wave. The wave's unique shape, with an effect of almost breaking below sea level, is due to the specific shape of the reef beneath the wave. It's semi circular nature, which drops down sharply creates a 'below water' effect and the extreme angles in descent create an instant instability to the wave. A steep wall of reef causes the entire mass to fold onto a scalloped semi circle breaking arc. The wave bends and races along into a dry reef closeout and the lip of the wave is often as thick as it is tall.
There have been 5 recorded deaths at Teahupo'o since 2000. Most notably was local Tahitian surfer Briece Taerea who was killed at Teahupo'o in 2000, just one week before the annual Teahupo'o WCT event Taerea attempted to duck-dive a dangerous 12-foot wave but was thrown over the falls, landing head first onto the reef. He was recovered from the water, but died later in hospital, suffering from two broken neck bones, a broken spine
and paralysis
from the neck down.
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, southern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
It is known for the surf break and heavy, glassy waves
Ocean surface wave
In fluid dynamics, wind waves or, more precisely, wind-generated waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and canals or even on small puddles and ponds. They usually result from the wind blowing over a vast enough stretch of fluid surface. Waves in the...
offshore, often reaching 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) and up to 70 feet. It is the site of the annual Billabong
Billabong (clothing)
Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant....
Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association
International Bodyboarding Association
The International Bodyboarding Association is the governing society of international bodyboarding.It is the IBA which promotes the World Tour, the international world bodyboarding tour.*...
.
Bodyboarding
Bodyboarding
Bodyboarding is a surface water sport . The average board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam, sometimes containing a ridged spine called a 'stringer'...
pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson
Ben Severson
Ben Severson is a pioneer in the sport of bodyboarding and Sandy Beach local.Oahu lifeguard and former rival of Mike Stewart for more than 15 years, Ben is a fast, perfectly trained and precise prone rider who excels at tube riding. He quickly gained recognition by winning a world title at the...
were the first to surf Teahupo'o in 1986 and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders. Few professional surfers rode Teahupo'o during the early 1990s and it was only in 1998, at the Gotcha Tahiti Pro, that Teahupo'o became widely recognized as having some of the heaviest waves in the world. On August 17, 2000 Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a professional volleyball player, television personality, and model...
is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden, documented in the film Riding Giants
Riding Giants
Riding Giants is a 2004 documentary film directed and narrated by Stacy Peralta, a famous skater/surfer who helped define modern skateboarding. The movie traces the origins of surfing and specifically focuses on the art of big wave riding...
. In 2003 the late Malik Joyeux
Malik Joyeux
Malik Joyeux was an accomplished all-around waterman and a professional Big Wave surfer. Known by many as the "petit prince", the Tahitian goofy-foot surfer often gained attention for charging the treacherous barrels at Teahupoo, Tahiti...
successfully rode one of the largest waves ever ridden.
On October 31, 2008 surfer Ian Walsh towed the biggest Teahupoʻo wave of the season. Video footage of this ride was later used in a Red Bull energy drink ad campaign seen around the world.
Keala Kennelly
Keala Kennelly
Keala Kennelly is a professional surfer. She was featured playing herself in the movie Blue Crush. She was also in the movie Step Into Liquid.She set a record in 2005 at Teahupoo, riding the biggest tow in wave by a woman....
was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupo'o in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest.
This challenging break has been conquered by many top windsurfers, including Jason Polakow and Levi Siver. Jeremie Eloy, Julien Sudrat and Yannick Salmon were the first kitesurfers to ride Teahupo'o on September 14, 2006.
Wave Characteristics
Teahupo'o is a reef breakBreaker (reef)
A breaker is a piece of reef against which waves break.This sense of the term is closely related to another sense, that of the breaking wave itself. In times past, when ocean navigation was relatively rudimentary, a line of breaking waves was a crucial indicator that a boat was bearing down upon an...
. The swells mainly break left, but the outer reef also creates right breaks that surfers must be cautious of when paddling out. Teahupo'o is also renowned for the consistent number of barrels
Tube riding
Tube riding is a term used by surfers to describe riding well inside the curve or barrel of a finely-shaped breaking wave. Under the right conditions, waves in some areas form a moving "tube" or cylinder as they break, for example, see the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.The most straightforward way to...
it delivers. It is a rewarding location and is widely regarded as being on the 'must-surf' list of every enthusiastic surfer. However, only experienced surfers in peak physical condition should attempt Teahupo'o; heavy waves combined with a shallow shoreline can result in serious injuries and even death in a wipeout.
Teahupo'o's legendary reputation for wave riding is partly due to its unique form. An extremely shallow coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
, which ranges up to 20 inches beneath the waters surface, is responsible for a very hollow-breaking wave. The wave's unique shape, with an effect of almost breaking below sea level, is due to the specific shape of the reef beneath the wave. It's semi circular nature, which drops down sharply creates a 'below water' effect and the extreme angles in descent create an instant instability to the wave. A steep wall of reef causes the entire mass to fold onto a scalloped semi circle breaking arc. The wave bends and races along into a dry reef closeout and the lip of the wave is often as thick as it is tall.
Deaths at Teahupo'o
Teahupo'o was included on Transworld Surf's list of the' Top 10 Deadliest Waves' and is commonly referred to as the "heaviest wave in the world". The name 'Teahupo'o' loosely translates to English as “to sever the head” or "place of skulls".There have been 5 recorded deaths at Teahupo'o since 2000. Most notably was local Tahitian surfer Briece Taerea who was killed at Teahupo'o in 2000, just one week before the annual Teahupo'o WCT event Taerea attempted to duck-dive a dangerous 12-foot wave but was thrown over the falls, landing head first onto the reef. He was recovered from the water, but died later in hospital, suffering from two broken neck bones, a broken spine
Spine
-Medicine:*Vertebral column, commonly known as the backbone or spine, so named for its spinous processes**Lumbar puncture, a colloquial term for which is a spinal tap**Spinal anaesthesia, a type of regional anaesthetic...
and paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
from the neck down.
Teahupo'o ASP World Tour Event Champions
- 1999 - Marc Occhilupo
- 2000 - Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- 2001 - Cory LopezCory LopezCory Lopez is a professional surfer born on March 21, 1977 in Dunedin, Florida, USA. Lopey and Coreman are his nicknames on the professional circuit.-Career:...
- 2002 - Andy IronsAndy IronsPhilip Andrew "Andy" Irons was a professional surfer. Irons learned to surf on the dangerous and shallow reefs of the North Shore in Kauai, Hawaii...
- 2003 - Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- 2004 - C.J. Hobgood
- 2005 - Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- 2006 - Bobby MartinezBobby MartinezBobby Martinez is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California.-Career:Martinez began surfing at age 6. When he was old enough, he joined the National Scholastic Surfing Association where he went on to win a record seven national titles. After several injury prone years he joined the...
- 2007 - Damien HobgoodDamien HobgoodDamien Hobgood is a professional surfer from Satellite Beach, Florida. He is known for having once held the highest two-wave grand final score in pro surfing by scoring 19.9 out of 20 at The Quiksilver Pro Fiji in 2004 until Kelly Slater eclipsed it the following year at Teahupo'o in the final...
- 2008 - Bruno Santos
- 2009 - Bobby MartinezBobby MartinezBobby Martinez is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California.-Career:Martinez began surfing at age 6. When he was old enough, he joined the National Scholastic Surfing Association where he went on to win a record seven national titles. After several injury prone years he joined the...
- 2010 - Andy IronsAndy IronsPhilip Andrew "Andy" Irons was a professional surfer. Irons learned to surf on the dangerous and shallow reefs of the North Shore in Kauai, Hawaii...
- 2011 - Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
External links
- Exact location on the satellite imagery of BlooseeBlooseeBlooSee is a social network and an ocean web mapping site where sailors, divers, surfers and other sea lovers geotag and share information and knowledge about the oceans. BlooSee is built in Python and uses the Google Maps API.BlooSee is owned by BlooSee, Inc...
- Teahupo'o November 2 2007 photos including photo used above.
- Teahupo'o surf spot including GPS location and map, pictures, surfs sessions...
- Surfer magazine cover of Laird Hamilton riding The Wave at Teahupo'o, 17 August 2000
- Another set of photographs of Laird Hamilton riding The Wave at Teahupo'o, 17 August 2000, by Tim McKenna
- Teahupo'o view from Tahiti Photogallery
- Photo gallery showing kitesurfing on Teahupo'o
- Tahiti Time: Inside a unique view of small wave surfing at Teahupo'o
- 2009 Billabong Pro Teahupo'o Coverage
- Post 2009 Billabong Pro Teahupo'o Photo Gallery