Photo courtesy of Red Bull

The Teahupoo break in Tahiti's got a daunting reputation. When it's big, it shows no mercy. At Teahupoo, water pours off the reef and drops down into a cylinder-like cavern. If you look at the reef from the air you can see why the wave behaves the way it does. There is a tiny keyhole that allows a small channel, with a v-shaped bottom, to emerge. The other unique thing that separates this wave from most others is that it breaks below sea level, so you feel like you're in some sort of dungeon waiting to be let out. The back of the wave is basically flat, so there is no way of gauging just how big it is from behind. All you can see are massive amounts of white water getting shooting backwards as the wave explodes onto the shallow reef. Usually the first wave in a set sends so much white water in so many different directions that the second and third waves are unrideable. Surfers scurry to be the first to catch the first wave of the set. There is almost as much anticipation between the boatmen trying to get the ideal spot for a photo as with the surfers trying to catch the ultimate ride.

Knowing all this about Teauhpoo, it was clear that we had to get into contact with one of Tahiti's favorite sons, Robert Teriitehau. He's basically like a god down there and is fully respected by the Tahitian surfing fraternity. It took one quick phone call and a look at the weather maps to convince Robert to take us under his wing.

Our morning arrival in Tahiti did not disappoint. Sand covered the roads and some homes had been washed away. The bungalows at the Intercontinental resort on the Island of Bora Bora had totally been destroyed by the massive swells. The morning boat trip out to the break is about as nerve racking as catching a set wave for the first time. I watched nervously as huge waves pounded the reef. The echoing screams from the impact of the waves sounded like a 747 hitting the water.

The longer I sat in the boat, the more dangerous it got. Sitting like a vegetable, contemplating whether I was ready to tackle such a feat, watching every bomb wave punish the reef, takes another notch of confidence from your belt. Excitement slowly and inevitably turns to melancholy. It was refreshing to see someone like Robert, at the other end of the spectrum. He was lit up like a matchstick, ready to surf some waves.

Before I could say, "Robert, you're a crazy bastard," he was already on the back of Poto's jet ski itching for a set. He was quickly wiped into a bomb and pulled in, but was too deep and he ate shit. I realized right then that he forgot to put on his life vest, which in my eyes is about as important as having your penis attached to your body. You can basically double the length of time you are underwater and, on a morning like this one, you would have to be a crazy motherfucker to catch any wave without one.

After getting plucked out of the soup bowl he made his way back to the safety of the boat. I thought he was in need of some sort of medical attention but he simply changed boards and started a montage of double and triple aerial surfing rotations assisted by Poto's jet ski. Everyone in the channel was screaming for more, but Robert was more intent to rig his windsurf equipment. Shit, I mean why not! He had already got barreled, put on an aerial show, so why not go windsurf? If I were to put the wind velocity into context, I would say a mosquito would have had more chance to catch a wave.

I knew the challenges of towing-in a windsurfer when the wind is super light. You sometimes get back-winded at the bottom of the wave and setting yourself up in the right spot can also be a task in itself. It's not at all like regular tow-in surfing. The sail is a real hindrance and the only love you get is the small updraft of wind that you get once you're on the wave. I had done windsurf tow-ins at Cloud Break in Fiji with disastrous results. The sail sometimes inhibits you from going down the line, and the battens back wind, pushing the board inward towards the breaking tube. I could only cross my fingers for Robert as the impending set wave reared its ugly head.

You know those pictures that stay locked in your head because they are just not right. Like an African boy testing his manhood by trying to slap a full-grown lion in the wild. Well, imagine a crazy Tahitian on a windsurfer getting towed by a 400-pound jet ski on a huge swell with no wind in the middle of the ocean.

As Robert approached the bottom I could see that he was in trouble. Everyone else was hooting, but as a fellow windsurfer I could see the technical problems arising. The battens in the sail slowly inverted and he had trouble getting the nose of the board to point towards the channel. I cringed as my friend got completely barreled by this huge green wall of water, straight from the depths of hell, and a "hold down" that even Jacques Cousteau would have been proud of.

With his equipment totally trashed he made his way back to the boat. I mentioned that he should be wearing his life vest. In the meantime I was still in the boat, busy "mind fucking" myself. One side of my brain was content with watching; the other was calling me a pussy for not getting out there. While an entourage of painful scenarios leapt in and out of my brain, I found that the simplest way to execute a decision was to take the road less traveled. It may not be the straightest of roads but it guarantees one hell of a ride. With that experience behind you, the rest is bliss. Perfect 12 to 15 foot surf awaits, with jubes so hollow you could invite a small Greek family along for the ride.

Dropping my surfboard into the water for the first time and leaving the safety of the boat was a little nerve racking. I chose a few smaller waves to familiarize myself with the conditions and then decided to wait for a set wave. Unfortunately, the same problems occur when you're sitting in the water waiting for a set that do sitting on the boat. If too much time passes you start mind fucking yourself all over again. I knew I needed a wave soon. With a good size set approaching, I was up and before I could compose myself I was on the wave, setting myself up for a barrel. As the wave hit the reef it just barreled over me and I thought I was too deep, but it just opened up and I had a real taste of perfect big Teahupoo. The rest of the day was pure adrenaline, with the occasional bounce off the reef. No drug in the world offers you all the human emotions in one single ride. If you're asking yourself if it's worth paying a visit to the hospital, then you're already asking yourself the wrong question!

Fear and commitment go hand in hand. One feeds off the other. There is no better feeling than putting yourself right in harm's way and coming out unscathed. After you get a taste you just want more. Seeing people getting double barreled out there elevates your spirit and pushes you to find the bigger, better ride.

With daylight slowly turning to dusk it was time to call it a day. We all celebrated that evening, each with our own tall story and then without a fuss dismissed ourselves to the solitude of our rooms to reflect on what had just taken place, hoping the next day would bring similar conditions.

It seemed our prayers had been answered when wind filled the lagoon at around 9 AM. We could see that it was still big and decided to rig up at the harbor and then jetty the equipment out by boat. The wind still seemed light, but it was stronger than Robert's windsurf attempt the previous day. Robert was still getting towed-in on the windsurfer while I opted to hang right in the impact zone and squeeze into a few late drops.

The difficulty at Teahupoo was picking the right wave. Some bent inward and dissipated as they hit reef, while others bent away and grew in size. The monster sets of the previous day seemed to have disappeared, leaving some nice solid walls to work with. Timing is critical at Teahupoo. One second the wave is flat and wide and the next it's folded over on itself, forming a barrel that surpasses any other. I found that you had to be in the perfect position if you wanted to make the drop. The wrong spot along the reef can be fatal, but if you are in the right spot and your timing is right, you can blast some huge aerials. You have to anticipate where and when the lip is going to throw. Keeping your speed is equally as important. You don't want to get stuck mid-face and you really need your speed if you decide to kick out. I managed to pick out a great spot in the reef where I would sit in the water to wait for the sets. My other friend was on a jet ski further out and would tell me which wave was the biggest of a set by raising his hand and indicating the number with his fingers. It sounds kind of dumb, but it actually worked really well. That, and the fact that he towed my arse back out to the lineup each time I finished my ride. I guess you could say I had my very own personal limousine service on the water.

More often than not I would miss the first wave, but on the bigger sets my position was perfect. The wind was so light that the only way to get into these waves was to basically sit right in the impact zone. My confidence was growing as I reeled off about a dozen waves, but disaster struck as I dropped in too late on a solid set and got totally worked. It only takes one crash to the bottom where your body gets ripped by the jaws of the razor sharp coral. I didn't even feel the cuts until I got back into the boat bleeding.

If you're going to wipe out at Teahupoo, then there's one basic rule to follow. Stay away from the breaking lip, and if you can, stay in the barrel for as long as possible. Of course, that all went to shit as I jumped off my gear and landed on my back, only to have the lip hit me directly in the chest. It's hard to explain the feeling you get as you drop into a nasty bowl and the wind decides to take an early vacation. A second can feel like an eternity as you contemplate your impending demise. The wave thickens up, gives you a little grin and then just pounds you into the reef. The air basically gets ripped out of your lungs and you have to relax and know that you're going to get pinned for a while. I generally count to 10 or so and then try to make my move. If you try too soon, you could find yourself stuck in a pocket of air and water for longer than you wish to. It's definitely hard not to panic especially when you know that the next wave is going to be knocking on your doorstep as soon as you see the sunlight. There might be some love at your home break but when it comes to Teahupoo, it's a true beating that you will never forget.

Seeing this wave in magazines and in videos just does not do the place justice. You have to be there to feel the energy and power of what nature can dish out and yet at the same time witness the camaraderie and courage between the water and men as they put their lives to the test. Surfing or sailing big Teahupoo is definitely not for the faint hearted. I guess once you've had a taste, you just want to come back for more.