Or possibly my sanity...
If pilgrimages to
Mecca, Jerusalem or Disneyworld be there's then this be mine. And If natural
wonders of the world be a religion then this was for sure my Mecca.....a once
in a lifetime must.
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| 'Code red' Teahupoo |
Teahupoo doesn't look
like this every day and that's why it's the über pilgrimage. All of the other
wonders of the world, shy of changing light look pretty much the same 24/7.
Except for the Aurora Borealis which for me is the only equal wonder
requiring such a perfect orchestration of nature's forces.
Closer to the earth's
surface and the first part needed to send Teahupoo 'Code red' is the wind
(Meteorology). That of sufficient strength and direction to create swell a
couple of thousand miles to the south of Tahiti. Next up Oceanography - the
phenomena that is the 'organising' of waves as they propagate through the
ocean. And almost finally, the crazy anomaly that is this one perfectly shaped
bit of coral reef off the south west coast of Tahiti-Iti (Geography). And
finally at the reef, a light offshore wind.
They are all blocks in a
finely balanced Jenga pile. If any piece wrong, the whole pile falls.
I had a 1
month....
Jackpot!
Firstly I had to get
out to the wave as it's about 1/2 a mile away from shore. Huge ocean swells
create such a current in the lagoon that it was a job not to get scraped over
the reef even on the paddle out. Washed out to sea in a semi controlled fashion we
drifted towards the haze. Once at the edge we realised it contained the international
surfing circus, who'd flown in especially for the huge 4-5m glass like swell. A
mirror image of the picture hanging in our living room at home in Glasgow.
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| A holy grail |
Proximity to the
coral reef is what makes this wave different. Tsunami style, the sea level
drops before each set wave and creates what feels like a landmass of ocean
moving beneath you. With all that movement, concentration is the name of the
game as to be drilled into the reef by that lip could kill you.
Next to the swimming photographers
I got the full front cover view. Staring into that cavernous barrel below I saw
faces filled with fear like I'd never seen before. I drifted too close once and
after paddling for what felt like my life, I shook uncontrollably with fright
for 5 mins.
It takes the
widescreen of reality to really digest what happens there. It feels pointless
to try and articulate to you what was simultaneously the most beautiful and
most powerful 'thing' I've ever seen in my life.
 |
| '#### ##### #### me!' |
I hadn't been that
excited since university when I stumbled into a Taste* after party to find out
that Dave Clark was on the Essential Mix**! To form I wasn't short of verbal
reaction on the day, but it was the day after where all I could do was to sit,
gulp air and reflect in awe at what I'd witnessed.
And I didn't even
surf it....
The world has
thousands of waves, why Teahupoo? Easy; the power of a wave is articulated in
the thickness of the lip (see a.), they don't come thicker. Secondly point b. which is the 3-4ft deep water and coral reef (i.e. death).
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| force and beauty |
On this scale, the
most powerful waves on the planet articulate the combined force and beauty
inherent in nature like none other of the popularised 7 natural wonders of the
world. Get it on the list.
* Every discerning
Dundee students pilgrimage on a Saturday night. Basically a Student's
Union disco.
** Late Saturday
night Radio, showcasing 2hr mixes by the world's finest DJs.
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