Why was Hamilton's ride at Teahupo'o such a big deal?

Question

I'm not a surfer but I was just curious after watching riding giants why this wave was so special. I believe they talked about it being especially "heavy" but looking at the wave it doesn't really look much different than other big waves to me. can someone explain this?

Answer 1

::rolls eyes::

You can't really just LOOK at a wave and know everything about it and say it's just like every other big wave.  

Teahupoo breaks in VERY little water.  So, let's say you miss your take off and wipe out, the wave is going to pick you up, carry you up, around, and "over the falls" and THROW you down into mere INCHES of water with truly razor sharp coral reef below.  Ouch.  Then, it's not over, the wave is then going to break on top of you.  Teahupoo is a very thick and "heavy" wave.  There's a LOT of water that's going to come down on you.  That water is heavy, strong, powerful, and can cause a LOT of pain.  It's going to drag you across that reef, push you HARD into it, hold you down below the surface, thrash you around underwater.  And hopefully you can hold your breath and maintain control of your breathing, because chances are, there's going to be another wave coming RIGHT behind it and you're gonna have to go through it all over again until you can paddle your a$$ out of the water or a jet ski can come save your butt.  

All big wave surfing demands respect.  Some waves more than others.  This is one of those waves.

Answer 2

The movie explained exactly why it was so special. Please watch it again. It's a scene where Greg Noll is talking to the camera about why it was such a pivitol moment in the history of surfing.

The movie also explains Chopes quite well, all of it's dangerous attributes, and why it's called End of the Road.

No offense, but did you watch the movie or are you thinking of something else like Step Into Liquid?

Answer 3

please watch again and never touch a surfboard

here is the link to the video

http://broadbandsports.com/node/1060

Answer 4

DUDE

ARE YOU KIDDING?

First off, you're not allowed to judge that because you don't know anything about surfing.

First off, the lip at Chopes when it's heavy is at least 6 feet thick.  Now imagine being sandwiched between that and razor sharp reef under about a foot of water.

Also.  Chopes breaks in unique conditions.  The deep ocean with a depth of a about 200 ft. butts up to a very shallow reef, turning Chopes into a backless monster.  If you look closely from a side veiw, you'll see that the wave is nearly flat in the back.  That is intense.

THAT THOUGHT SHOULD SHUT YOU UP

Answer 5

Laurie's pretty much summed it up.

But, for me, just one look at Laird's ride at Chopes ( on the surfing magazine cover) and I knew it was the heaviest ride I'd ever seen.  The thickness of the lip is hard to grasp.  When I saw the video I got instant chicken skin!

Answer 6

yea,what laurie said.....it was such a dangerous situation with the reef and all.....one slip and he is either dead or in very bad shape

Answer 7

He was busted by Phoebe Cates taking care of business....pretty embarrassing in my book.