Teahupo'o... ohhh... whooooah!
October 1, 2013 6:07 PM   Subscribe

As Teahupo'o gains notoriety as one of the biggest monsters in the surfing world, the tiny area it covers gets more and more crowded. If you want to dig some fingernail-marks into the armrests of your chair, watch 2013's Inside the Monster (25:43, French with English Subtitles). Then, explore The Mechanics of Teahupo'o in this slideshow about what makes this slab tick. [previous, previous]
posted by not_on_display (12 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wow! I have watched a lot of clips of Teahupoo over the years, but Inside the Monster was some amazing footage. The first minute was a unique view of what the wave looks like from underneath. Also, the videos I've seen before never gave a sense of just how crowded the lineup can be.
posted by kovacs at 6:31 PM on October 1, 2013


This wave scares the everloving shit out of me. Like seeing a dinosaur or something. Just deep guttural terror.
posted by nathancaswell at 6:33 PM on October 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


Those wipeout sequences holy cow.
posted by iamkimiam at 6:45 PM on October 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Even more Teahupoo!

(I should admit that I know the guy whose site this is.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:57 PM on October 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Every video I watch of this wave I find that I'm holding my breath and I don't even realize until I'm gasping, and I grew up bodysurfing at Sunset while the board surfers were further out on the real waves. Surfing Teahupo'o takes crazy nerves.
posted by rtha at 9:51 PM on October 1, 2013


Those wipeout sequences holy cow.

I kept hearing the Wilhelm Scream over and over in my head.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:54 PM on October 1, 2013


Those wipeout sequences holy cow.

OK, I just witnessed a double cartwheel into a triple back flip that would rival an Olympics-caliber floor routine...only performed inside a horizontal tornado. That's just insane.
posted by prinado at 12:16 AM on October 2, 2013


Such a thick lip on that. Washing machine mit razor coral. I love to surf. I will NEVER surf tow-in at Teahupo'o. Even just overhead there and paddle-in looks rather....challenging. DAT DROP.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 12:32 AM on October 2, 2013


wow that's some really beautiful water.

...also how do people surf with hats on? is it some mark of confidence that you aren't going to wipeout?
posted by fuzzypantalones at 7:06 AM on October 2, 2013


Watching big wave surfing for me is to constantly be screaming "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" in my head.
Yesterday I got tossed off a four footer and was reminded what it is like to be held down, if only for a moment.. I can't imagine the violence of a wave that thick.

This surfline feature has a neat graphic on the mechanics of Teahupo'o (15/32): Slabs! Part One. Also not to be missed is the mutant face of Cyclops (19/32), which looks almost crystalline with its bizarre geometry.
posted by eddydamascene at 8:19 AM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]


Needs more Jane's Addiction
posted by KokuRyu at 8:43 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]


Maya Gabeira's return to Teahupoo after her devastating wipeout in 2011

Bruce Irons loses his shorts during the Code Red swell
posted by gimli at 4:11 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]


« Older Because even bad Bowie is better than no Bowie   |   Next to being a Hollywood movie star, nothing was... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments