Teahupo’o: the world’s ‘heaviest’ surfing wave



Teahupo’o
, site of a legendary surfer break on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, has developed quite the reputation among big-wave surfers. Due to a shallow coral reef just off shore, waves here tend break as massive, chunky walls of water, a phenomenon that has earned Teahupo’o the distinction as the “heaviest” wave in the world.

The video above, filmed at Teahupo’o, offers a first-hand view from the ocean of what it’s like to ride the massive swells of this epic surf spot. Set to an ethereal soundtrack, the video follows surfers as they brave one of the biggest surfing days at Teahupo’o in recent memory, riding crushing “fists” of ocean that grow and collapse, threatening to swallow them whole at any minute. Sit back, click the play button, and let yourself be mesmerized by these awesome feats of athleticism.



Photo of the Day (11.27.10)


I doubt too many people can claim that they’ve stared down the barrel of a tank out of sheer curiousity. Luckily for Flickr user Bernard SD, this tank in Hyderabad, India was out of commission when he snapped the shot.

I think there are a few things that make this photo a great shot, but the most striking is the detail of the rifling at the tip of the barrel. The contrast of the carefully shaped metal and the way the threads taper off into black nothingness is visually stunning. By using this as the point of focus and blurring out the rest of the tank, it takes a somewhat familiar object and shows it from a new perspective. It’s a beautiful photograph, which is unnerving when you consider what the object’s purpose actually is.

Have you taken photos in the face of danger? Share them with the world! Submit to our Flickr Pool and it could be our next Photo of the Day.