Watch: Teahupoo // Hues

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Reels

Where hasn't been pumping over the last month?

OK, ignore that question Vicco and South Oz surfers, your time will come...

Aside from the obvious coasts, such as Hawaii and NorCal which are in season, the East Coast received a winter-esque south swell, Tassie has copped it from the south and the east, while WA southwest surfers this morning woke to 12ft surf, following on from a great run in early January.

Similarly, Tahiti has roared through the off season with a huge swell in December and another mid-ranger from last week, captired here by Perry Gershkow. With the trades non-existent and the wind laying down under heavy cloud cover, conditions were as good as they get.

Matahi Drollet, Kauli Vaast, and Vahine Fierro leading the charge.

 

Comments

lilas's picture
lilas's picture
lilas Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 10:20am

Reconfirmed my belief that perfect waves are one of the most beautiful looking creatures mother nature ever invented.

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 10:26am

Some of the best Teahupoo footage I've seen I reckon. Man that wave at 4:33. This new generation have it so dialled in.

Stephen Allen's picture
Stephen Allen's picture
Stephen Allen Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 10:52am

The second wave is the sort one once drew on the cover of a school book.
I recall reading an early edition of the Surfers Journal with a photo of a lone surfer sitting in the channel contemplating whether Teahupoo was possible... how surfing has progressed.

surfstarved's picture
surfstarved's picture
surfstarved Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 11:54am

Mine were always righthanders, but it's a point well-made nonetheless.

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 11:18am

A couple of the smaller roll-ins have me thinking perhaps I'd give it a crack. The bigger ones that orange helmet dude was charging, not so much.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 11:27am

I'm with you, Spud. A few looked sort of reasonable.

Matahi Drollet has the place so wired. Incredible.

Bungan33's picture
Bungan33's picture
Bungan33 Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 11:27am

That was mesmerising. That was like a meditation session.
Also envy inducing. That crew are sliding into multiple waves every session that most mere mortals would consider the wave of their life.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 12:03pm

looks so perfect and mesmerising but the view from the paddle-in looking down at that thing draining and bending in is fcuking terrifying.

surfstarved's picture
surfstarved's picture
surfstarved Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 10:27pm

I'll bet. You'd be able to see just about every nook and cranny of the reef as you plan your drop. Having grown up on sand-bottom points, I still get the willies whenever I take on one of our southern cold water reefs.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 4:57am

What about at 3 to 4ft, FR? Is it approachable at that size, or still terrifying?

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 5:33am

depends on swell direction but yes, approachable.
v. shallow at that size.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 6:44am

I think everyone would love to surf that joint at 3-4 foot but would you go all that way for that?

I must say Tahiti has fascinated me for a long time. Much localism?

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 8:05am

There are a few rights on Tahiti that I'd love to surf, and I will go one day.

And I'd love to give smaller Teahupoo a go if I were there.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 8:39am

yes and no.

on a day like that the local boys will be holding it down big time.

smaller days and there's no real panic on it.

I found the local boys really friendly and totally cool if you showed respect.

I've heard they can get really gnarly on people not respecting the joint.

I got called into more waves than I wanted.

ringmaster's picture
ringmaster's picture
ringmaster Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 10:25am

"I got called into more waves than I wanted."

A double edged sword. There must have been a couple that you looked at and thought 'nah' but went anyway cause to pull back would have shut the door. Any heavy ones that you wanna elaborate on?

*That scenario reminds me of 30+ years ago when I got called (yelled at) into a proper 10 footer at Nias by the older blokes paddling out after their waves. One of those ones you have to paddle out a bit further, spin, and go like a MOFO. I didn't want to go but being the only one near it I sort of had to and got fucking annihilated.

Ended up having one of the best surfs of my life after that happened and the old boys let me have some crackers.

jaunkemps's picture
jaunkemps's picture
jaunkemps Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 11:23am

That reminds me of a time back in 86 at Nias, paddled into a double thick one as Nias does, way to late, ended up sliding down the face on my back like a skate ramp, got guillotined by the lip in the guts and ended up in blackness pinned to the bottom reached for my leggy and found it was horizontal, not good, ended up with diaphragm palpitations for 3-4 times, thought I was going to drown, l didn't but it sure made me respect the next few that looked like that........

Optimist's picture
Optimist's picture
Optimist Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 12:21pm

So beautiful and yet so tricky.

dawnperiscope's picture
dawnperiscope's picture
dawnperiscope Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 1:43pm

Wow.
Went back and paused at 1:41, just incredible to look at that still knowing what comes before and after

peter doyle's picture
peter doyle's picture
peter doyle Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 6:47pm

simply beautiful

ringmaster's picture
ringmaster's picture
ringmaster Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 6:59pm

Some 'lifetime' waves in that clip.

Doesn't really get much better does it?

dean maddison's picture
dean maddison's picture
dean maddison Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 7:17pm

Nearly fell off the right hand side of my chair watching that. Yep fuckin perfect.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 7:37pm

Wow.
Who doesn’t want to get on a plane right now?

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Friday, 29 Jan 2021 at 8:21pm

Awesome....thanks Perry & crew
These fearless surfers can see their deepest spit-fired barrels.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 7:34am

Sick joy

bipola's picture
bipola's picture
bipola Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 2:59pm

that was perfection so deep

The MIDdleman.'s picture
The MIDdleman.'s picture
The MIDdleman. Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 4:16pm

When the spit becomes a reliable expectation to get you past the foam ball you ain't getting deeper or more perfect than that.

andy-mac's picture
andy-mac's picture
andy-mac Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 5:34pm

Stunning footage!

sunhil's picture
sunhil's picture
sunhil Saturday, 30 Jan 2021 at 10:08pm

Been a while since 5:29 mins of surfing footage went so fast!!

Ronson's picture
Ronson's picture
Ronson Sunday, 31 Jan 2021 at 9:08pm

totes....well since that jaws one a couple of days ago.

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Sunday, 31 Jan 2021 at 3:44am

Would be cool to see some of those rides at normal speed aye.

SI's picture
SI's picture
SI Thursday, 4 Feb 2021 at 1:58pm

Wow, amazing waves! So amazing!