The Ultimate Wave Tahiti Page #2

see the waves coming,

and of course,

Tahitians are the world's

greatest paddlers.

When the wind

is north- northeast

and the waves get

at least three feet

and building,

then it's time to go surfing

and everybody knows it.

People ask me

what makes Kelly so good.

I think he just loves surfing

more than anyone else.

He never takes his eyes

off the waves,

always studying

and thinking about

how he can be better.

Our culture is

all about the sea.

Terrible storms and typhoons

have killed many people,

and their spirits

seem to be with us

all the time.

We have great respect

and fear of the power

of the ocean.

Sooner or later,

all the villages have felt

the anger of Ruahatu,

the evil god of the sea.

over the centuries,

countless ships and

their crews have been

driven to their doom

on the shallow reefs

of these volcanic islands,

victims of

the storms and typhoons

of the South Pacific.

on the sea surface,

wavelets form,

shaped by turbulent air.

The water itself

moves little,

but its motion

will transfer energy

over great distance.

Small waves collide,

sometimes canceling,

and sometimes

reinforcing each other

as they organize

into larger waves

to carry the energy

they have absorbed.

The roughened sea surface

increases drag

and promotes

more interaction

with the moving air,

resulting in

larger waves.

Bigger waves offer

more surface to the wind.

Growth becomes exponential.

Storm winds transfer

vast amounts of energy

into the ocean.

Wave energy can reach

hundreds of feet

below the surface

and travel around

the planet before

colliding with land.

When the swells

reach Teahupo'o,

local winds and weather

will help shape

their final form,

delivering

sculptural perfection

or fluid chaos.

Teahupo'o is

unusually shallow,

so you should try to

avoid falling altogether,

but at the same time,

you have to prepare

yourself mentally to

get dragged over the reef.

It's the most

dangerous wave we surf.

At its peak,

the lip of the barrel

at Teahupo'o

will heave some

20 tons of water

over the head of

a brave surfer.

If the wind is coming

from the wrong direction,

it can make the surface

of the water very bumpy.

It's more about

surviving than surfing.

When it's too big to paddle,

you have to tow

the surfer out.

I only tow out

the very best

because anyone else

is going to get hurt

for sure.

That was a good one.

So then I had to...

I didn't go to the doctor.

I was walking by myself

on the black sand

that I have by my house,

swimming by myself,

and every day

after that day...

How long?

How long were you

out of the water?

Maybe easy, like, two weeks,

easy out of the water.

Two weeks?

Yeah.

That's like a scrape,

that's nothing.

That's like stitches.

What do you mean?

Come on, man.

You've surfed Teahupo'o,

like, 40 feet.

I waited

about a month or two

to get the surgery,

and right before

my surgery,

I tore my knee.

I tore some tendons

in my knee

and in my ankle.

And by the time

I was recovered

from my hip surgery,

I couldn't surf

'cause of my knee

and my ankle still.

So that was like

two months or something

out of the water,

two and a half months

maybe.

The wave at Teahupo'o

is thick and heavy

and the reef

is very shallow.

You can easily get

smashed onto the reef.

I have lost friends,

all of us have.

There are times when

you think it's not worth it.

Catching

a wave at Teahupo'o

is a combination of

that total euphoria

and that ultimate fear.

You are never as real

as when you might die.

For 1,000 years,

Polynesians have struggled

to comprehend

and even influence

the mysterious

and deadly forces

of the ocean.

The great waves

are at the center

of Tahitian

religion and culture,

bringing forth good fortune,

exhilaration,

and sometimes disaster.

In the wake of the storm,

faster waves

outrun slower ones.

The waves become

organized into sets.

Local winds,

currents and tides

play their part in

shaping the arriving swell.

The sea bottom plays

the most critical role.

A gentle slope

produces gently

breaking waves.

A sudden shallow

can produce

a plunging breaker.

A shifting sandbar

or a coral reef, a seamount

or a rocky outcrop,

each has the potential

to shape surfable waves.

Like a lens,

the shape of the bottom

can focus or diffuse

the energy of the wave,

change its course,

or stop it altogether.

At Teahupo'o,

a sudden shelf

and shallow reef

compress the arriving

wave energy,

dramatically increasing

wave height.

As the wave slows,

its crest continues

to sweep forward,

generating a great

cathedral-like barrel

that breaks across the reef

with perfect symmetry.

For many surfers,

it's the ultimate wave.

The best waves are not

too small or too big,

and the wind has to

come from the front.

The thing that

makes surfing so unique

is that every

single wave is different.

The next wave

could be the worst wave

or it could be

the best ride of your life,

the ultimate wave.

You just don't know

unless you're on it.

All the great surfers have

made the long pilgrimage

to the distant shores

of Tahiti.

But only a few

are lucky enough

to surf the great wave

at Teahupo'o

when the conditions

are just right,

and lucky enough to

confront the demons

and walk away.

My friend,

Fa'arua, is a little

too wild for his own good,

but he has

the competitive spirit, too.

You see that in

the great surfers.

After the waves calm down,

Kelly gets restless.

You can see it coming,

and he has to be

on the move again.

Kelly was once the youngest

world champion,

and now he is the oldest.

He has nine championships,

the best ever.

I tease him that

enough is enough,

time to just relax.

But he's always off

to find another wave

on the far side of the world.

I don't care for

the competition much.

I think

if you're connected

with the right spirits,

then you don't need to

chase after the waves.

If you are patient,

the perfect wave

will come to you.

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