The Ultimate Wave Tahiti Page #3

sometimes canceling,

and sometimes

reinforcing each other

as they organize

into larger waves

to carry the energy

they have absorbed.

The roughened sea surface

increases drag

and promotes

more interaction

with the moving air,

resulting in

larger waves.

Bigger waves offer

more surface to the wind.

Growth becomes exponential.

Storm winds transfer

vast amounts of energy

into the ocean.

Wave energy can reach

hundreds of feet

below the surface

and travel around

the planet before

colliding with land.

When the swells

reach Teahupo'o,

local winds and weather

will help shape

their final form,

delivering

sculptural perfection

or fluid chaos.

Teahupo'o is

unusually shallow,

so you should try to

avoid falling altogether,

but at the same time,

you have to prepare

yourself mentally to

get dragged over the reef.

It's the most

dangerous wave we surf.

At its peak,

the lip of the barrel

at Teahupo'o

will heave some

20 tons of water

over the head of

a brave surfer.

If the wind is coming

from the wrong direction,

it can make the surface

of the water very bumpy.

It's more about

surviving than surfing.

When it's too big to paddle,

you have to tow

the surfer out.

I only tow out

the very best

because anyone else

is going to get hurt

for sure.

That was a good one.

So then I had to...

I didn't go to the doctor.

I was walking by myself

on the black sand

that I have by my house,

swimming by myself,

and every day

after that day...

How long?

How long were you

out of the water?

Maybe easy, like, two weeks,

easy out of the water.

Two weeks?

Yeah.

That's like a scrape,

that's nothing.

That's like stitches.

What do you mean?

Come on, man.

You've surfed Teahupo'o,

like, 40 feet.

I waited

about a month or two

to get the surgery,

and right before

my surgery,

I tore my knee.

I tore some tendons

in my knee

and in my ankle.

And by the time

I was recovered

from my hip surgery,

I couldn't surf

'cause of my knee

and my ankle still.

So that was like

two months or something

out of the water,

two and a half months

maybe.

The wave at Teahupo'o

is thick and heavy

and the reef

is very shallow.

You can easily get

smashed onto the reef.

I have lost friends,

all of us have.

There are times when

you think it's not worth it.

Catching

a wave at Teahupo'o

is a combination of

that total euphoria

and that ultimate fear.

You are never as real

as when you might die.

For 1,000 years,

Polynesians have struggled

to comprehend

and even influence

the mysterious

and deadly forces

of the ocean.

The great waves

are at the center

of Tahitian

religion and culture,

bringing forth good fortune,

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