H2uh0

The Teahupoo break in Tahiti's got a daunting reputation. When it's big, it shows no mercy. At Teahupoo, water pours off the reef and drops down into a cylinder-like cavern. If you look at the reef from the air you can see why the wave behaves the way it does. There is a tiny keyhole that allows a small channel, with a v-shaped bottom, to emerge. The other unique thing that separates this wave from most others is that it breaks below sea level, so you feel like you're in some sort of dungeon waiting to be let out. The back of the wave is basically flat, so there is no way of gauging just how big it is from behind. All you can see are massive amounts of white water getting shooting backwards as the wave explodes onto the shallow reef. Usually the first wave in a set sends so much white water in so many different directions that the second and third waves are unrideable. Surfers scurry to be the first to catch the first wave of the set. There is almost as much anticipation between the boatmen trying to get the ideal spot for a photo as with the surfers trying to catch the ultimate ride.

Knowing all this about Teauhpoo, it was clear that we had to get into contact with one of Tahiti's favorite sons, Robert Teriitehau. He's basically like a god down there and is fully respected by the Tahitian surfing fraternity. It took one quick phone call and a look at the weather maps to convince Robert to take us under his wing.

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