Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

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Raimana Van Bastolaer

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie Sterling

Jamie O’Brian

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie Sterling

Jamie Sterling

Jamie Sterling

Jamie Sterling

Unknown

Unknown

Up the Point

Maya Gabeira

Laird and Raimana
Rescue Maya

Carlos Burle

Unknown

Lee Tham Rescue

...

...

...

Manoa Drollet

Hira Teriinatoofa

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Kaleo Robinson

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Maya Cabeira

Dylan Longbottom

Dylan Longbottom

Felipe

Felipe

Felipe

Felipe

Felipe

Garett McNamara
Raimana Van Bastolaer

Garett McNamara
Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Crowded Line-up

Benjamin Sanchis

Benjamin Sanchis

Benjamin Sanchis

Carlos Burle

...

Poto Vetea David

Captain Miller

Koby Abberton

Hira Teriinatoofa

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie O’Brian

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie Sterling

Ian Walsh

Ian Walsh

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Where the right
meets the left

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Shane Dorian

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Shane Dorian

Shane Dorian

Benjamin Sanchis

Carlos Burle

Carlos Burle

Carlos Burle

Carlos Burle

Shane Dorian

Dylan Longbottom

Dylan Longbottom

Dylan Longbottom

Dylan Longbottom

Ian Walsh
on the bomb of the day

Ian Walsh

Ian Walsh

Ian Walsh

Maya Gabeira

Maya Gabeira

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Manoa Drollet

Patrice Chanzy

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie O’Brian and Sterling

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Jamie Sterling

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton

Jamie O’Brian

Jamie Sterling

Brazilian

Wave

Raimana and Laird

Benjamin Sanchis

Rodrigo Kocha

Sterls and Carlos

Raimana Van Bastolaer

Teiva Joyeux

Heiiari Williams

Koby Abberton

Raimana and Maya

The playground

Maya Gabeira

Dylan and Manoa

…

…

The Chanel

Hira Teriinatoofa

Shane Dorian

Patrice Chanzy

Raimana and Laird

The gallery

Benjamin Sanchis

Carlos Burle

South Of Teahupoo

Nicolas Lee Tham

Raimana and Laird

Sylvio Mancusi

Maya Gabeira

Jamie Sterling

After ravaging the Australs, the Gambiers and the Tuamotus and closing down three airports, an unexpected southern swell woke the gods of Teahupoo on Halloween night.
The best big wave-riders had bought their tickets for some 20-ft-plus rides:
Laird Hamilton, Raimana Van Bastolaer, Manoa Drollet, Dylan Longbottom, Ian Walsh, Shane Dorian, Jamie O’Brian, Jamie Sterling, Carlos Burle, Benjamin Sanchis, Maya Gabeira, Hira Teriinatoofa, Sylvio Mancusi, Kaleo Robinson, Koby Abberton, Vetea David, Teiva Joyeux, Nicolas Lee Tham, Nathan Fletcher, Felipe, Rodrigo Kocha, Patrice Chanzy, Heirari Williams, Garrett McNamara, Adam D’Esposito, Patto, & Arsène Harehoe,
The action started early at 5:30 am, with glassy 12-ft-plus conditions with Raimana Van Bastolaer, Laird Hamilton and Jamie O’Brian catching some of the cleanest waves of the day and Jamie Sterling stealing the show by riding a glassy cathedral around 7 am.

As the wind picked up, the swell kept growing and Teahupoo started to throw some of its famed “bombs” with Ian Walsh riding certainly the meanest looking and probably one of the biggest waves of the day, a massive white-water mutant that peeled off perfectly into the channel.
Brazilian girl and big wave-rider, Maya Gabeira, also took on the challenge, but suffered two severe wipe-outs straight off. Unfazed and always smiling, she returned to the battlefront and successfully rode some of the largest tubes of her life.
Around 10:30am, Ian Walsh whipped Shane Dorian into a dredging green monster where he pulled the move of the day by executing a sharp bottom turn and carve in the face of the wave to re-position himself in order to be able to exit the warping tube.
A few minutes later, it was the turn of Manoa Drollet to get shacked on the most beautiful and biggest wave of the day. The southerly direction seemed to be making the wave as large as it was tall. Manoa, who had been spending some time in Europe, caught a plane back to Tahiti especially for this swell. Once again he proved to be the ‘Boss’ when Teahupoo turns on.
11h30: Garrett McNamara was dropped off super deep on a bomb, so deep that he was swallowed by the foam ball while watching Raimana riding the same wave and making it to safety a few metres ahead of him.
Around midday, there were up to 14 jet-skis in the line up. On some sets, they resembled a line of cavalry charging towards the take off spot with all riders and drivers stressing to get the bigger sets.
The wind continued to strengthen throughout the day and the current was so strong that the colour of the water turned yellow and green as the pass let out the murky lagoon waters.
In the afternoon; Laird Hamilton, Ian Walsh and Raimana committed to some super-deep rides exiting every time with the spit of the wave. Carlos Burle scored the largest wave of the afternoon around 4 pm.
By 5 am, most of the tow-in teams and media boats had been on the water for twelve hours and they started to clear the line up just as the swell finally dropped.

The next day, many riders found themselves suffering from sunburn, sun blindness or simply a good hangover. The Red Bull film crew who had come down to do a story on a new type of revolutionary camera ended up scoring the best week of the year in Tahiti with some of their best athletes, with shots captured from more angles than one could ever imagine. No doubt all this magic Teahupoo footage will rock the surfing world in the very near future.