What Square-Footage Of Wave Is Physically Paddleable?

It’s no secret that Hawaiians love Teahupoo.

Every year, when the North Pacific chaos settles down and the Southern Ocean begins cooking up long period energy, it’s inevitable that we’ll see footage of Koa, Billy, and Eli hucking themselves into the west bowl.

Along with the crew of reef-impervious locals, these guys have spent the last handful of years deciphering what square footage of water is physically paddleable. So, while the caliber of Koa’s latest clip is no surprise, it’s still damn fun to watch. The edit is filled with some absolute manhandling of waves that would have probably gone unridden five years ago.

In addition to Koa’s jealousy-inducing cover shot, notable moments include Eimeo Czermak’s casual death-pit and the nightmare set that comes through around 11:27.

Oh, and for the everyman, Koa’s filmer Jack earns himself a vision. On ya Jack. Watch the beauty, terror, and glory here.

(And pssst, there’s another huge swell hitting this week.)