Key Milestones in Tahiti | The Epoch Times

Watch the world’s elite athletes risk life and limb on a reef so sharp it could double as a cheese grater.

The 2024 Olympic surfing competition was held at the notorious Teahupo’o in Tahiti—a wave so fearsome it makes the Grim Reaper look like a lifeguard on a coffee break.

This isn’t just any wave; it’s a snarling beast that has claimed five lives and countless close calls, including the tragic demise of local legend Briece Taere in 2001, who was tragically sucked over the falls of a 12-footer.

Big Wave Surfing

In the sport of surfing, there’s surfing, and then there’s big wave surfing.

The latter is a sport so perilous it’s second only to bull riding or base jumping, depending on which adrenaline junkie you ask.

Teahupo’o, while not always considered a “big wave” spot, can still break at a respectable seven metres.

This may seem like a mere ripple compared to the 30-metre monsters at Nazaré, Portugal, but don’t be fooled—size isn’t everything. The danger at Teahupo’o lies in its sheer unpredictability and the razor-sharp coral lurking beneath.

Although, in a study on competitive surfing, Dr. Andrew Nathanson of Rhode Island Hospital’s Injury Prevention Center noted that surfing generally has a relatively low injury rate—6.6 significant injuries per 1,000 hours.

But, as with all good things, there’s a catch: the risk more than doubles when surfing large waves or over hard bottoms. And Teahupo’o offers both in sp…



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