Teahupoo

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Teahupo'o (pronounced Cho-poo) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. It is known for its heavy, glassy waves, often reaching 2-3m (7-10ft) and higher. It is the site of the annual Billabong Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the ASP World Tour professional surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association.

Teahupo'o (or 'Chopes as it is sometimes called) is a reef break. It is mainly left-breaking, 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 Teahupoo; heavy waves combined with a shallow shoreline can result in serious injuries and even death in a wipeout.

Tahitian Thierry Vernaudon claims to be the first to ride Teahupo'o, having done so in 1985 with some other locals. They rode much smaller waves, however, than those often featured in photographs and videos of Teahupoo. Bodyboarding pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson surfed Teahupo'o in 1986 and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders. Few professional surfers rode Teahupoo during the early '90s 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.

Keala Kennelly was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupoo in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest.^[1]

Jeremie Eloy, Julien Sudrat and Yannick Salmon were the first kitesurfers to ride Teahupoo in September 14th 2006.

photo gallery n° 1, photo gallery n° 2 photos courtesy of Tim McKenna