We talked to four big riders (big wave surfers), a two-time Brazilian champion and two surfing experts to assemble our Top 10 of lethal waves. The champion was the terrible Teahupoo – a wave from the island of Tahiti, in French Polynesia, which combines a brutal volume of water and a coral bottom up to a hand’s deep. “The broth hit is very strong. It’s like if you entered a ring with 100 people and everyone hit you at the same time”, says big rider Carlos Burle. See the details of 10 killer waves in this super-ranking.
include me out of these Deadly waves have rocks, corals, violent currents and sharks
10. ALL SAINTS
Giant wave
stones
Where is the wave – Desert island 20 km from Mexico
The region is filled with rocks at the bottom. Depending on the swell, one of them may appear out of nowhere in the middle of the water. As the wave rises very quickly, the surfer has no time to think. If he misses the drop, he will face the rocks!
Curiosity – The wave wall is not smooth: it has an unevenness. The nickname of the peak, Killers (“killers”) confirms the danger
9. DUNGEONS
Giant wave
very strong current
sharks
Where is the wave – Cape Town, South Africa
This South African giant is unpredictable – there is a current and the wave changes places a lot. The peak attracts hungry sharks because it is close to a seal colony.
Curiosity – Memories of surfer Eraldo Gueiros: “In Dungeons, I saw a giant shark 30 meters away from me. It was impressive!”
8. WAIMEA
Giant wave
very strong current
Where is the wave – Island of Oahu, Hawaii
The drama in Waimea unfolds when the bay “closes”: 10-meter waves break along the entire length of the beach, making the “channel” disappear, a kind of backflow of water that takes the surfer beyond the breakers. The surfer gets stuck in the middle of the waves!
Curiosity – When the series of waves arrives, there is not even time to go back to the beach. The guy has to dive deep and hold his breath, waiting for the surf to pass.
7. PIPELINE
shallow coral bottom
Where is the wave – Island of Oahu, Hawaii
The big risk is the insane force with which the wave breaks on a mixed bench of stones and coral, 3 meters deep. The beach full of surfers pressures people to choose a wave right away. A wrong choice can be fatal.
Fun fact – Pipeline has an average of one death per year. In 1998, there were 30 accidents in a single day!
6. VINAPU
Giant wave
stones
very strong current
sharks
Where is the wave – Easter Island
The peak is all rocks, sea urchins, cold water and sharks! “The wave, which breaks 50 meters from a pile of stones, is irregular. It transforms when you are inside the tube”, says big rider Carlos Burle
Curiosity – To get to the wave, surfers walk on rocks full of sea urchins. On the way back, they paddle over them – praying they don’t fall!
5. SHIPSTERNS BLUFF
Giant wave
shallow coral bottom
sharks
stones
Where is the wave – Tasmania, Australia
This Australian peak has a shallow coral bottom and sharks everywhere. The waves break in a weird way: the wall is irregular and full of steps, similar to those that appear when a wave crashes on top of another. It’s hard to balance
Curiosity – Want another perrengue? Okay: the water is freezing cold…
4. BANK CUTS
Giant wave
sharks
Where is the wave – 180 km off the coast of San Diego (United States)
This wave breaks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in a region full of sharks more than eight hours from land. The immense volume of water generates broths in deep waters. You are thrown down and it takes time to rise
Curiosity – Cortes Bank is considered a place where the mythical 100-foot wave can be surfed, which is 30.5 meters!
3. MAVERICK’S
Giant wave
stones
very strong current
sharks
Where is the wave – 1 km off the coast of Central California (United States)
The surf in these murky waters, infested with white sharks, rolls in front of a wall of sharp rocks, where the surfer can be dragged by the current. The brutal force of the waves breaks knees, legs and necks
Curiosity – In 1994, Hawaiian surfer Mark Foo took a deadly broth. His body was found floating an hour later.
2. JAWS
Giant wave
stones
very strong current
Where is the wave – Island of Maui, Hawaii
Drinking broth at Jaws is like falling into a giant washing machine. The volume of water is immense and you lose the notion of space. In addition to the risk of drowning, there are sharp rocks at the bottom and a cliff just 800 meters from the peak.
Curiosity – In Jaws, the biggest wave in the world to date was surfed, with about 21.5 meters high. The feat was performed in January 2004 by Hawaiian Pete Cabrinha
1. TEAHUPOO
Giant wave
shallow coral bottom
Where is the wave – Tahiti (French Polynesia)
The craziest wave in the world breaks 60 meters from the shore, on top of a super-shallow coral reef. In a broth, the pressure of the wave throws you into the corals. In addition to worrying all over, you can hit your head and black out. Or get stuck in some crevice and can’t get up
THERE IS WATER
The volume of water in Teahupoo is absurd. The wave grows more in width than in height, forming “square” and more lethal tubes.
HEADSTRONG
Surfing at Teahupoo requires safety accessories: straps that secure your feet to the board, life jacket and helmet. The crazy guy in the photo isn’t using any of that
SAY CHEESE!
This square in the sea is a sealed box with a camera, operated by a brave photographer who has only his arms out of the water.
SUBMERGED WALL
Because of the coral reef, the depth drops from 1 400 m to 1.5 m over a 2 km stretch! At low tide, the fins of the board scrape the coral