TEAHUPOO - PLAGE ET VAGUE
Plus puissant que le Pipe et que n'importe quelle autre vague. Cette vague qui déferle en gauche est n°1 des spots mondiaux depuis qu'elle est médiatisée, grâce, entre autre, à la vague shootée par "Monsieur" Laird Hamilton qui fut sans doute la vague avec la lèvre la plus épaisse jamais surfée. On surfe Teahupoo dans ses rêves où tout est beau et gentil et où tout va bien dans le meilleur des mondes, mais cette vague est monstrueuse de part sa puissance, sa rapidité, sa taille, sa verticalité, etc... Teahupoo reste une vague inaccessible sauf pour une élite de riders. Pour info, Teahupoo veut dire en polynésien "tête par dessus cul"...
Teahupoo est une ancienne commune associée maintenant à Taiarapu-Ouest à Tahiti sur la presqu'île de Tahiti Iti en Polynésie française. Teahupoo (prononcé Té-a-hou-po-o, le mur des têtes et prononcé aussi tiou-po par les polynésiens) est un spot de surf mondialement célèbre pour ses gauches. En effet, on y trouve sans doute, proportionnellement parlant, les vagues régulières les plus larges et les plus épaisses du monde. Le fond très escarpé écroule brutalement de longues houles sur le récif corallien, créant ainsi des vagues très particulières, demandant un take-off instantané et brutal pour ensuite enchainer un tube. Ce spot figure parmi les plus dangereux du monde, le fond corallien étant à quelques dizaines de centimètres de la surface et l'énorme vague s'écrasant sur la barrière de corail. Il y a régulièrement des accidents, parfois mortels. Le spectacle peut toutefois y être à la hauteur de la légende du spot comme en août 2000, lorsque Laird Hamilton chevaucha une vague titanesque (15,07 m) et passa dans un tube de la dimension d'un hangar. Chaque année au mois de mai, une compétition internationale y a lieu, le Billabong Pro Teahupoo réunissant les surfeurs du tour WCT.
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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 20 m (70 ft). 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 Teahupoo 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.
Wave Characteristics
Teahupo'o is a reef break. 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. Its 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 Teahupoo
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 and paralysis from the neck down.
Teahupoo est une ancienne commune associée maintenant à Taiarapu-Ouest à Tahiti sur la presqu'île de Tahiti Iti en Polynésie française. Teahupoo (prononcé Té-a-hou-po-o, le mur des têtes et prononcé aussi tiou-po par les polynésiens) est un spot de surf mondialement célèbre pour ses gauches. En effet, on y trouve sans doute, proportionnellement parlant, les vagues régulières les plus larges et les plus épaisses du monde. Le fond très escarpé écroule brutalement de longues houles sur le récif corallien, créant ainsi des vagues très particulières, demandant un take-off instantané et brutal pour ensuite enchainer un tube. Ce spot figure parmi les plus dangereux du monde, le fond corallien étant à quelques dizaines de centimètres de la surface et l'énorme vague s'écrasant sur la barrière de corail. Il y a régulièrement des accidents, parfois mortels. Le spectacle peut toutefois y être à la hauteur de la légende du spot comme en août 2000, lorsque Laird Hamilton chevaucha une vague titanesque (15,07 m) et passa dans un tube de la dimension d'un hangar. Chaque année au mois de mai, une compétition internationale y a lieu, le Billabong Pro Teahupoo réunissant les surfeurs du tour WCT.
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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 20 m (70 ft). 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 Teahupoo 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.
Wave Characteristics
Teahupo'o is a reef break. 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. Its 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 Teahupoo
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 and paralysis from the neck down.