The name says it all. Translated it means – Wall of Skulls, and boy does she ever live up to her name. Tahiti sits in the middle of the Pacific ocean surrounded by very deep water and as you approach the island a very shallow coral reef appears out of nowhere and that’s where the magic happens. Created by powerful, fast moving, open ocean currents abruptly slamming into this extremely shallow reef. It’s this deep water colliding with this shallow reef that creates these incredibly thick lips as the weight of the ocean has nowhere else to go but out and over. While other waves around the world are said to reach heights well over 70ft they also tend to break in very deep water. By contrast a big day at Teahupo’o tops out around 30ft but is breaking in water so shallow that coral heads sometimes break the surface of the water. It’s the same amount of water as those taller waves just condensed into an insanely thick lip shooting out and over this deadly shallow, razor sharp reef creating some of the cleanest, most cavernous barrels found anywhere on the planet. It’s this very thickness that makes this wave so impressive. When you see a surfer go down here and watch them get slammed head first into the reef it’s incomprehensible how they do not die.
In September 2019 we were fortunate enough to be there shooting a film on Dom Mosquiera, a local surf photographer, who’s office happens to be this incredibly intimidating wave. A day before heading home he let me know that a significant swell was supposed to arrive two days after our scheduled departure, so we extended our trip and needless to say this is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Riding out the break you hear her before you really see her, and it’s that explosive concusion that really sets the stage. Audible violence the likes of which I had never experienced, only to quickly be outdone by the visual beauty of sitting out there with the mountains of Tahiti as a backdrop to the most beautiful wave one has ever seen. In all our travels around the world we have not experienced anything nearly as perfect or intimidating as Teahupo’o. There is a savage beauty to this wave. A contrast of extremes. The most beautiful sight in the world which can easily be the last thing you ever see if you don’t give her the respect she demands. This is a place where you make your career as a surfer or end your life as a human. A coliseum for modern day gladiators taking on an opponent so powerful that one can’t help but deeply admire the fearless surrender offered up to the gods when these warriors commit to paddling for big wave here. This is a very special place, populated with very special humans, who know but one way to live and that is fully committed to the ride of a lifetime. The men and women that make their livings around these waters are a special breed that could only be forged in the presence of such awe inspiring power.
Kommentare