Teahupoʻo is a village that is located on the island of Tahiti in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is known for being the host of the Billabong Pro Tahiti Surf Competition annually.
This competition is a part of the World Championship Tour for the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour circuit, and it features professional skaters from all over the world. The event consists of several rounds, and only the best surfers make it to the end.
Tahiti has also hosted a competition for the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association.
Tahiti is a prime spot for a surfing competition. The waves offshore have been known to reach two to three meters tall, which is the equivalent of seven to ten feet. Teahupoʻo is known for being a reef break and many surfers looking for a challenge dream of surfing in this village's waves. The village's name actually translates to “to sever the head,” which explains why it made Transworld Surf's list of the "Top 10 Deadliest Waves." In fact, a local surfer was killed at the village in 2000, one week before the Billabong Pro event.
This all may seem intimidating to novice surfers, but it is a welcomed and exciting experience for the professionals that enter the Billabong Pro Surfing Tournament. Only the most skilled surfers are able to be victorious in this tournament.
In 2011 the tournament saw a historic run of swell. 39-year-old Kelly Slater from the United States of America ended up winning the 2011 trophy. During the several day span of the tournament, the competition was actually suspended for a day because the waves were too big, making it incredibly dangerous for surfers. The French Polynesia issued what is referred to as a 24 hour Code Red advisory. This advisory prevented any type of watercraft from being in the ocean. The waves were so large during the entire Billabong Pro Tournament that even Slater experienced a wipeout during one of the rounds.
Teahupo'o has hosted ASP World Tour Event Championships since 1999. During this span, Slater has won three times and Andy Irons has walked away with two trophies. Kelly Slater's record comes as no surprise, considering he has also been the winner of eleven ASP World Championships, five of which were consecutive titles. This makes him both the youngest and the oldest person to ever receive the title.
In addition to this, Slater's 2005 win in the Billabong Tahiti Pro made him the first person to receive two perfect scores in the competition. He lives for the excitement that Tahiti's waves present.
