Roaming around Tahiti we caught wind of a party going on at the end of the road.  A legendary village where the surfing elite flock, kings have been crowned and a heavy blue beast lives.  It was a lore too good to ignore.

So, we set sail for the sleepy little village of Teahupo’o and as you’ll soon see for yourself…the first morning was brutal.

 

Clearly, I am not a morning person and need to work on my communication skills.

Floating house maintenance aside, Teahupo’o is a beautiful place to call home.  The small passes along the reef make for more than just good surfing.  They were great diving locations and the marine life was just the right amount of friendly.

And, true to every island we have visited in French Polynesia…the views are epic!

 

 

 

Billabong Tahiti Pro

Billabong pits the world’s best surfers against the world’s heaviest wave.   Sounds exciting, but surfing enthusiast or not, the floating spectators and local legends are worth showing up for.

 

 

 

What’s wild is that it wasn’t until the 60’s that surfers started coming to Tahiti and not until the late 90’s that the name “chopes” started luring in the big wave surfing elite.  (Note, the proper pronunciation of Teahupo’o is not “cho poo”, that is the surfer slang we kept hearing and reading.  The locals will say something more along the lines of “tea-hoo-poh-oh”.)

There isn’t any land in between Tahiti and the roaring forties, so there is an abundant southerly swell consistently rolling in.

And bringing it back around to sailing…These nicknames, roaring forties, furious fifties and the screaming sixties were coined by the sailors who first entered these latitudes.  Something I knew nothing about before sailing.

They refer to the latitudes in the Southern Ocean. Areas that are notorious for insane westerly winds and raging storms.  An old salty saying puts it into perspective:

Below 40 degrees south there is no law and below 50 degrees south there is no God.

Waves build to 25 feet and have what is considered “thick lips” which is why they call it the worlds heaviest.  While it would be a sight to behold…I don’t think I want my boat anywhere near those behemoths on a day like that!

 

 

 

As you can see from the birds eye view, its solid, unfriendly reef promising nothing but woes for even the slightest mistake.

 

 

THANK YOU!

Sharing our lives and what we learn along the way is possible because of viewers like you.  If you like what you see, there are lots of FREE ways you can show your support.  Thank you for being a part of the journey.

 

SAILING REPORT

To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map

• Dates: August 16-21, 2018
• Sailed: 0
• Anchorage: Teahupoo, French Polynesia

 

RESOURCES & GEAR

CAMERA GEAR

• Sony rx10: https://amzn.to/2QAHxwx 
• Underwater Housing / Sony rx100:  gonewiththewynns.com/product/productsony-dsc-rx100m-iii-cyber-shot-digital-still-camera
• Go Pro: https://amzn.to/2ALaz3d
• Drone: https://amzn.to/2VQ2pzi

Freediving / Snorkeling Gear

• Nikki
  • Freedive Mask With Camera Mount http://amzn.to/2d5C6SB
  • Freedive Snorkel: http://amzn.to/2cjh3dV
  • Freediving Fins:  http://amzn.to/2kIYmlf

  Jason

  • Atomic Mask: http://amzn.to/2uuqsZf
  • Freediving Snorkel: http://amzn.to/2uxCjEb
  • Freediving Fins:  http://amzn.to/2kIhljK

 

AWESOME tunes for vids: http://bit.ly/artlist-gwtw

• Artists Used In This Video: Giants and Pilgrams, Adi Levi, Marc Robillard, Rex Banner, Be Still The Earth