Kauli Vaast's Wave At Teahupoo Was So Massive That It Destroyed Houses On Shore - Stab Mag

Live Now — Premium Peek — Episode 4 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

1544 Views

Kauli Vaast’s Wave At Teahupoo Was So Massive That It Destroyed Houses On Shore

Hair-raising views from the channel.

elsewhere // Aug 14, 2021
Words by Schuyler Allen
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Yesterday morning, Friday the 13th, GQ cover boy and Tahitian charger Kauli Vaast whipped into one of the biggest waves ever ridden at Teahupoo. 

(Heimiti Fierro’s vision of Kauli’s wave from the ski and the aftermath on the last slide.)

Caption: WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO No words to describe how crazy this guy is @kaulivaast! One of the biggest waves ever ridden for sure out there. This wave was so huge it literally almost closed out and all the boats and jets got very lucky! We survived @vahinefierro @kiaragoold Thank you Kauli for putting a show and for making me cry hahah no words to describe the adrenaline out there just by being on the jet

The recent swell that landed on the reef at Teahupoo was so powerful that it tore through the houses and ripped the roofs off some homes when it reached the shores. It sounds like some Polynesian folklore that doesn’t sound possible. But it is, and it happened yesterday. 

And despite not “completing” the wave (the water was sucking so hard off the reef that Kauli was engulfed and sent over the falls), this is one for the history books.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Royalties, Equity, and YouTube: Brandon Wasserman on Surfing’s New Economy

“If you’re taking those kinds of swings, you could be walking away from a lot…

Jul 18, 2025

Power Surfing Isn’t Dead

Connor O'Leary & Gabriela Bryan assert their strength at rifling J-Bay, win their first and…

Jul 18, 2025

WSL Changes Fiji Format One Month Before Finals — Carissa Moore And CJ Hobgood React

"Does it really matter at this point?"

Jul 18, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 4

Our surfers' most dreaded challenge: The Zero Sum Game.

Jul 17, 2025

“My Feet Are Completely Fucked. I Didn’t Expect Them To Get This Infected And Mouldy.”

A mid-world record check-in with Blakey Johnston.

Jul 17, 2025

Why The Surf Industry’s Kingmakers Are Betting On Florence

Pat O’Connell and Evan Slater on why ex-Volcom, Billabong and Hurley CEOs are riding shotgun.

Jul 16, 2025

Mixed Symmetry — The Surfboards Of Milk & Honey 

As told by Stephanie Gilmore, Caity Simmers, Coco Ho, and Frankie Harrer

Jul 16, 2025

Cloud 9 Becomes First Surf Break To Outlaw Beginner Surf Lessons

Time to make it a universal ruling at sketchy reef breaks? A local photographer explains.

Jul 15, 2025

10 Shapers To Watch In The Next 10 Years — Part Two

A few more foam craftsmen worth keeping on your radar.

Jul 14, 2025

Watch: Rip Curl Mobilises Its Teenage Army In ‘Dunno’

A 30-minute surf film by Vaughan Blakey and Nick Pollet.

Jul 14, 2025

There’s A New Number One Surfer In The World

And it feels so right.

Jul 13, 2025

Controversial Opinion: No One Needs To Yoga In Boardshorts

8 Trunks for the traditionalist.

Jul 13, 2025

Stab Edit Of The Year: Sam Piter Stars in ‘Rogue DNA’.

French blood, thick water.

Jul 13, 2025

Matty McG Skydives Into CT Heat, But Jordy’s Still The Main Event

A full day of heats at J-Bay, and only one shark warning.

Jul 12, 2025

Correction: J-Bay All Foreplay, No Climax

Slim pickings on Day 1 of the Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025.

Jul 11, 2025

What Do Hollywood, Surf Lessons, Michael Jackson And Traction Pads Have In Common?

A Stab Interview with Teva Dexter, the man behind surfing's hardest new hardware brand —…

Jul 10, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 10, 2025

How Josh Ku Nearly Died Trying To Cross From Ulus to G Land by Hydrofoil

“If someone finds me dead at least they can find my phone and know what…

Jul 10, 2025
Advertisement