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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Teahupoʻo wave say? "I'm steeped in tradition.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Teahupoo, French Polynesia)

Teahupoʻo
Associated commune of Taiarapu-Ouest
Teahupoʻo is located in Tahiti
Teahupoʻo
Location within Tahiti
Map
Location of Teahupoʻo
Coordinates: 17°50′50″S 149°16′2″W / 17.84722°S 149.26722°W / -17.84722; -149.26722
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
CommuneTaiarapu-Ouest
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,455
Time zoneUTC−10:00
Postal code
98723

Teahupoʻo (Tahitian pronunciation: [te.a.hu.ˈpo.ʔo])[2] is a village on the southeastern coast of the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, France, in the southern Pacific Ocean.[3] It is known for the large, consistent surf that occurs off its shore, and resulting international surfing competitions.

Village

[edit]

The village of Teahupoʻo has a population of roughly 1,500.[4] The village has a single, one-lane road.[4][5] The name Teahupoʻo loosely translates from Tahitian to English as "to sever the head" or "place of skulls", in reference to a battle that once took place in the village.[6][7] The village's population has been significantly affected by radioactivity generated in a 1974 French test of a nuclear bomb.[8]

Geography

[edit]

Teahupoʻo has a reputation for surfing, partly due to its unique form. An extremely shallow coral reef, which ranges up to 20 inches (51 cm) beneath the water's 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 shape of the reef beneath the wave. This is semi-circular, and drops down sharply, creating a 'below water' effect; 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.[9] 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.[3]

Teahupoʻo has been included on lists of "deadliest" and "heaviest" waves due to the combination of extremely large waves with a very shallow reef.[6][10]

Surfing history

[edit]

Tahitian Thierry Vernaudon and a few other locals surfed Teahupoʻo for the first time in 1985. Bodyboarding pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson showcased the spot and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders.[11] In the 1990s, surfing videos featuring professionals like Kelly Slater and Tom Carroll made the village popular among surfers.[11] Teahupoʻo has been the site of the Billabong Pro Teahupoo since 1999.[12]

On 17 August 2000, Laird Hamilton is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden,[3] now referred to as the "Millenium Wave".[11] Tahitian surfer Brice Taerea was killed at Teahupoʻo in 2000. He attempted to duck-dive a dangerous 12-foot (3.7-meter) wave but was thrown over the falls and landed headfirst on the reef. He was recovered from the water but died in hospital, having suffered two broken cervical vertebrae and a severed spinal cord.[6]

In 2003 Malik Joyeux successfully rode one of the largest waves ever ridden.[13] Nathan Florence, younger brother of three-time World Surf League champion John John Florence, caught in May 2015 what has been described as the biggest wave ever successfully paddled in Teahupoʻo.[14] Keala Kennelly was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupoʻo in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest.[15]

2024 Summer Olympics

[edit]
The Aranui 5 ship housed surfers off the coast of Teahupoʻo during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Teahupoʻo was the host venue for the surfing competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which were otherwise mainly hosted in Paris.[16][17] The venue was 9,800 mi (15,800 km) from Paris, the furthest distance between an Olympics venue and the host city. This was in keeping with International Olympic Committee goals of reducing construction costs by allowing for usage of existing venues, but increased travel costs and emissions.[18] Previously, the record for the longest distance between a host city and a competition venue was 9,700 mi (15,600 km) when, due to Australian quarantine regulations during the Melbourne 1956 games, the equestrian tournament was held in Stockholm.[19]

Several infrastructural improvements were made in preparation for the event.[5] Residents of Teahupoʻo protested against the construction of a three-story aluminium judging tower (replacing an older wooden tower), fearing that the construction would irreversibly damage the coral reef.[20] Construction also damaged coral near the contest site.[21] In response, French Polynesian president Moetai Brotherson said the event could be moved to Taharuu, on Tahiti's west coast. However, this proposal was rejected by organizers.[22] The tower was eventually built, but with changes to the design to reduce impact.[5] Similarly, plans originally called for construction of housing for athletes, but to reduce long-term impact to the village, athlete housing was instead put on the Aranui 5 passenger-cargo ship offshore.[18][23]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Les résultats du recensement de la population 2022 de Polynésie française" [Results of the 2022 population census of French Polynesia] (PDF) (in French). Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. January 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "TEAHUPOO – Legend, True Meaning, True Story". Onestopsurf Surf News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Borte, Jason (28 January 2001). "Teahupoo". Surfline: Surfing A-Z. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 "AP PHOTOS: In Teahupo'o, Tahiti, coastal village life thrives among powerful waves". AP News. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Juan (26 July 2024). "The Olympics and Surfing's Most Controversial Tower: What Now, What's Next?". The Inertia. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Brower, Ryan (2008). "The Top 10 Deadliest Waves". Transworld Surf. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Local Knowledge". Billabong Pro Tahiti. Billabong (clothing). 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  8. ↑ Beech, Hannah; Ferguson, Adam (30 July 2024). "Olympic Surfing Comes to a 'Poisoned' Paradise". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Teahupoo – Anatomy Of A Monster". SurfingAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "9 of surfing's nastiest waves". Red Bull. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Douglas-Rosa, Ashtyn (2 March 2025). "Everything You Need to Know About Surfing Teahupo'o". Surfer. Archived from the original on 11 May 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Six Reasons 2014 Was The Best Event At Teahupo'o To Date". World Surf League. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  13. ↑ "Malik Joyeux Surfing The Big One". The FactStory. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  14. ↑ Williamson, Morgan (2015). "Heavyweights discuss Nate Florence and the best Teahupoo wave ever paddled". Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  15. ↑ Tracks magazine, August 2005, ISSN 1032-3317.
  16. ↑ Mather, Victor; Minsberg, Talya (6 March 2020). "For Paris Olympics, Surfing Will Head to Tahiti's 'Wall of Skulls'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Teahupoʻo". Paris 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  18. 1 2 Wheaton, Belinda; Thorpe, Holly (21 July 2024). "The greenest games ever? How claims of Olympic sustainability hit a reef in Tahiti". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "Tahiti approved as Olympic surfing venue for 2024 Paris Games". NBC Sports. 3 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Tahiti surf tower sparks protests against Olympics 'kooks' before Paris 2024". The Guardian. Reuters. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Solution will be found for Teahupoʻo surfing site – Paris 2024". Reuters. 6 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Towering inferno: Olympics organisers stick to Tahiti site amid coral reef fears". The Guardian. Reuters. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  23. ↑ "Take a Tour of the Olympic Surfing Village Cruise Ship (Video)". Surfer.com. 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
[edit]
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