Watch a Boat Nearly Sucked Over the Falls at Teahupo’o in Viral Video
Teahupo’o, Tahiti is one of the surf world’s heaviest waves.
It’s a lefthand slab, with waves funneling in from deepwater, then exploding over extremely shallow reef, with a channel on the side that serves as a pseudo spectator’s gallery. It will also be the event site for surfing in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But sometimes, those boats in the channel get a little too close.
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So, this video has been circulating for quite some time. It happened back in May of 2022. Keep scrolling to see the full footage.
But in a new video, Hawaiian pro surfer, Jamie O’Brien, adds a little context. With text emblazoned on the vid, he writes: “Why you NEVER want to be in this situation.”
Here’s his spiel:
“This wave, Teahupo’o, is one of the gnarliest waves in the world.
“The water goes from about 1,000 feet deep, to about 100 feet, to 50 feet, to 20 feet in just a matter of seconds.
“This was a massive wave at Teahupo’o. And the boat was a little too far inside. It made the captain panic, but at the same time, I felt like he was very controlled in his environment.
“They lost a baguette; you can see the baguette fly off the boat.
“When the wave comes in at Teahupo’o, it’s probably landing in 15 feet of water.
“The craziest part is that Teahupo’o is like a natural amphitheater. There’s like 10 or 15 boats just sitting in the pocket. It’s such a crazy looking wave. To me, it looks like a rogue wave.
“These waves are barely rideable and humans decide to ride them. They’re absolutely crazy. And in this instance, the boat almost caught the wave.”
Close call.
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