This feature is part of a new series called “First Session”, which will examine the inaugural surfs at various iconic waves around the world. Stay tuned for more. Surfing’s history has long maintained ...

On a big day, the left reef at Teahupo’o in Tahiti is one of the world’s most spectacular waves. This uniquely intense surf zone owes much of its freakish form to an equally unique bottom contour, a ...

In French Polynesia, waves are revered and feared at the legendary surf break off the village of Teahupoo. A swimmer navigates the water near Teahupoo’s famed surf break, which sits just a few feet ...

The waves at Teahupoo are measured more by thickness than height, a sign of the cyclonic energy building within. They are some of the heaviest waves on the planet. They approach the small Tahitian ...

Instead of the coast of France, surfers in 2024 will travel to Teahupo’o, home to some of the world’s most dangerous waves. By Victor Mather and Talya Minsberg The Seine has many charms, but heavy ...

On August 27, 2011, the Billabong Pro Tahiti event on surfing's World Tour was placed on hold due to a massive swell bearing down on the famed big-wave spot, Teahupoo. Paddling into waves was out of ...

The waves at Teahupoo are measured more by thickness than height, a sign of the cyclonic energy building within. They are some of the heaviest waves on the planet. They approach the small Tahitian ...

As the Olympics get going in earnest this week, not everyone's attention is focused on the host city, Paris. Surf fans are heading to Tahiti, which is half a world away in French Polynesia. Why? Well, ...

A surfer rides a huge wave at the Teahupoo beach in the French Polynesia island of Tahiti on August 13, 2021. (Photo by Tim McKenna / AFP) (Photo by TIM MCKENNA/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty ...

Over the course of the last decade, I've seen surf contests from just about every corner of the globe. From bobbing in the channel at Teahupoo in Tahiti to elbowing wanna-be gangsters out of the way ...