the wave









teahupo`o, tahiti, the heaviest wave on earth. just thought you'd like some eye candy. right at the peak of this break, the reef is only a half meter deep. these waves are probably about twenty feet give or take...five? i dunno. but imagine just falling from that high into two and a half feet of water onto concrete (the reef isn't sharp, it's been worn smooth and flat by the surf). painful? yeah, i'd say. i've jumped from things that high and plunged 8-10 feet underwater. NOW, imagine falling from that high, into that water, covering that concrete, with hundreds of pounds of water chasing you like a fucking pile driver from hell. people have died here...it's insane. i look at things like this and i remember the feeling i had going over the falls (basically falling off the top of the crest and getting pounded straight down by the entire wave following right behind you) of only a FIVE foot wave once at sandy's (a beach that possibly causes the most injuries in the world...a mix of stupid tourists and a very dangerous shorebreak) and getting pounded into the reef maybe FOUR feet deep (but sharp). on my way down i manged to flip completely over to hit the water with my ass, and then the reef with my ass leaving a big bruise.....and THEN i started getting dragged over the reef like getting cheese grated by the current as the wave passed over me. i was held underwater for probably only ten or twelves seconds, but it felt like five minutes and i had no idea if i'd broken anything, i just felt pain all over. i came out if it with only a bruised ass and a few cuts and scrapes, but i thought about what could've happened if i hadn't flipped over - either couldn't manage or hadn't made that split second decision - and landed on my head.

i'd probably be dead too.

and back to my original point. teahupo`o` is one huge, scary motherfucker. the reason i like bodyboarding and surfing so much is because it truly does scare the living shit out of me. funny i'd call that fun :) but i'm a bit of a masochist....

cheese.