Are you ready for some surfing at Teahupoo

Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-poo) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of Tahiti, located in Papeete Island, 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.

Tahiti’s Teahupoo is essentially a glorified closeout – a hideous, deadly barrel promising a heap of trouble for even the most capable of surfers. No other surf spot extracts a higher toll than Teahupoo, the heaviest wave in the world.

The quiet town of Teahupoo rests along the southwest corner of the smaller of Tahiti’s two dormant volcanoes, Tahiti Iti, separated from the larger by the Isthmus of Taravao. Literally translated as “the hot head,” King Teahupoo’s son once avenged his father’s death by feasting on the fresh brain of the son of his murderer. The town of Teahupoo has vehemently retained its native culture, despite the influx of tourists, who are confronted with an array of local crafts but not a single McDonald’s (which is goood:) ). Recognized as a surf destination since the ’60s, the island is ringed with coral atolls receiving abundant swell via the roaring 40s. No land stands in its way, so Tahiti enjoys Hawaiian power during our summer months, providing an off-season challenge comparable to the North Shore. Finding a suitable reef pass is the only job you need to do if you want to surf.

Ages ago, freshwater from the mountains flowed into the ocean, eroding the reef and creating what is known today as Passe Havae. The pass is located where the town’s paved road ends, thus its early name, “The End of the Road.” The channel at Teahupoo isn’t actually a channel at all, as the wave bends and races along into a below sea level dry reef closeout. A 15-minute paddle from land, Teahupoo’s severe shape results from a drastic change in gradient as powerful swells leave a gently sloping bottom and are hurled forward by the reef. The lip, as thick as it is tall, pitches with such velocity that one must take off under it to avoid being launched. Guts alone may cut it at some big-wave venues, but here they’ll get you killed. An iron sack must be accompanied by finesse in negotiating a wave that has relegated Pipeline to mere warm-up status.

Tahitian Thierry Vernaudon claims he was the first to ride Teahupoo in 1985 with a few other locals, but the small waves they surfed were hardly the beasts we’ve come to know. Bodyboarders Mike Stewart and Ben Severson stumbled upon the End of the Road the following year, and it soon became something of an underground spot for psychotic bodyboarders.

I suggest you to watch to video below and think again is Teahupoo is your location for next excursion or not…

BILLABONG BIG WAVES TEAHUPOO TAHITI

… and remember that there are mermaids there…