Teahupoʻo (Tahitian pronunciation: [te.a.hu.ˈpo.ʔo])[2] is a village on the southeastern coast of the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, France, in the southern Pacific Ocean.

However, only experienced surfers in peak physical condition should attempt Teahupoʻo; heavy waves combined with a shallow pillow can result in serious injury and even swimming in a wipeout.

An extremely shallow coral reef, which ranges up to 20 inches (51 cm) beneath the water's surface, is responsible for a very hollow-breaking wave.

Teahupoo was virtually unknown when the Black Pearl Horue Pro debuted as a World Qualifying Series event in 1997.

The competition returned the following year under the name Gotcha Tahiti Pro; a women's division was added (won by Keala Kennelly of Hawaiʻi); and the competition ended in chaos when Hawaiʻi's Conan Hayes, the apparent winner after fearlessly charging through a series of Teahupoʻo barrels, was announced as runner-up behind Australia's Koby Abberton.

Six-time world champion Kelly Slater of Florida came out of semi-retirement to win the men's division; Keala Kennelly won the women's title.

On August 17, 2000, Laird Hamilton is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden,[3] documented in the film Riding Giants.

[9] Keala Kennelly was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupoʻo in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest.

[10] This challenging break has been conquered by many top windsurfers, including Jason Polakow, Ali Neil and Levi Siver.

[citation needed] The name Teahupoʻo loosely translates to English as 'to sever the head' or 'place of skulls', though this is a reference to a battle that took place near the village rather than to the waves.

Previously, the record for the longest distance between a host city and a competition subvenue was 9,700 mi (15,600 km) when, due to Australian quarantine regulations during the Melbourne 1956 games, the equestrian tournament was held in Stockholm.

[19] In response, French Polynesian president Moetai Brotherson said the event could be moved to Taharuu, on Tahiti's west coast.