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Kiwi Doug Young rides a monster wave in Tahiti - Source: Josh Humbert -
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Doug Young and Sam Hawke have become the first Kiwis to surf Teahupo'o in Tahiti which is called the "world's deadliest wave" says Surfing New Zealand.
Last Wednesday's monster wave was created by a large low-pressure weather system that battered the New Zealand coastline before intensifying in the Pacific on its way to Teahupo'o in Tahiti.
Surfers regard Teahupo'o as the heaviest and deadliest wave in the world due to the combination of big open ocean swells breaking from extremely deep water onto very shallow coral reef.
This causes the wave to break below sea level and with no back to the wave.
This monster wave was a 15-20 foot swell and personal water crafts (jet skis) were needed to get into the wave but also to rescue any surfers after wipeouts.
Christchurch's Doug Young and Sam Hawke flew from New Zealand for the chance at the wave and had to sleep on the beach before waking up to what locals are calling the biggest ever day in Teahupo'o.
"I scored one of the most amazing barrel rides of my life only to be swallowed by the foam ball and dragged across the reef. I then had another five more waves on the head before finally being rescued by the jet ski," says Young.
An all-star cast of surfers were there to watch Hawke ride the biggest wave of his life with Shane Dorian, Ian Walsh, Vatea David, Carlos Burle, and Raimana Van Bastolaer among the crew watching.
"As I looked at a dry patch of reef all I was thinking was that
every muscle of my body was set to make the bottom of this wave,"
says Hawke.
The Kiwi made the drop and set his line and the wave had so much
water it sucked the reef dry on the inside which eliminated the
safety of the channel.
Both surfers will now be amongst the top contenders for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards, a global competition rewarding the world's best big wave surfers with a first prize purse of US$50,000.
Hawke and Young's rides will be entered in the ride of the year and monster tube categories.
