The Backstory  Behind One Of The Biggest Waves Ever Successfully Ridden At Teahupoo

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The Backstory  Behind One Of The Biggest Waves Ever Successfully Ridden At Teahupoo

Matahi Drollet’s perspective of the best swell since 2011.

cinema // Sep 6, 2021
Words by stab
Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Friday the 13th is a date that should ring a few non-horror-film related bells by now.

The swell that landed in Tahiti on August 13th, 2021, was the most impressive one since code red in 2011. 

After waiting for nine hours that day, French Polynesian local and big wave extraordinaire Matahi Drollet successfully rode away from one of the biggest waves documented at Teahupo’o — a wave he waited 9 hours for.

Today, Matahi gives us his take on the swell, which was so big it flooded his house on land for almost two hours. He also describes what it was like to get barreled on a foil board, and how he dislocated his shoulder after hitting water at such a high velocity.

Watch here, then curl up in the corner and be grateful for the waist-high beach break by your house.

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