‘It Could Kill You, and That’s the Truth’ [Video]

Tahiti is a place littered with reefs. It’s home to one of the best waves on the planet: Teahupo’o. That, of course, is the wave that will play host to the Olympic Games, so the World Surf League thought it might be a good time to break down the wave.

“Teahupo’o is unique,” wrote The Inertia‘s Juan Hernandez. “A very, very long time ago (we’re talking millions of years here), freshwater flowed from the mountains and poured straight at the reef, eroding sections of it and shaping it like an arm bent at the elbow. That elbow plays a critical role in the shape of incoming waves.”

Depending on the swell, sets can either become basically un-surfable closeouts or barrels that a surfer will remember for the rest of their lives.

“Unlike Hawaii’s North …