1 / 19

Teahupoo Surf Break

Teahupoo Surf Break. By Daniel D’Ascenzo Zach Gorecke. Teahupoo is located in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Sits on the 17 th parallel south in the Pacific Ocean. Island formed by two dormant volcanoes. Surrounded by reefs formed by nutritious ocean water. Geography.

piper
Download Presentation

Teahupoo Surf Break

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Teahupoo Surf Break By Daniel D’Ascenzo Zach Gorecke

  2. Teahupoo is located in Tahiti, French Polynesia. • Sits on the 17th parallel south in the Pacific Ocean. • Island formed by two dormant volcanoes. • Surrounded by reefs formed by nutritious ocean water. Geography

  3. Consistent swell year round comes primarily from the Roaring Forties. • Most powerful swell is during the winter months (May – October). • Best swell is from S, SE, or SW because of south facing reefs. • Wave periods of greater than 16 seconds ideal for big waves. • Receives some swell from Northern Hemisphere storms. Swell

  4. Why aren’t all reef breaks like Teahupoo? • Unique seamount configuration to the south • Perfect depth for refracting long period swell(>16 s) so that it focuses on Teahupoo • Deeper water following seamounts, allowing no energy loss Bathymetric Effects

  5. Teahupoo is a reef break that primarily breaks left. • Waves break at the same point at a pass in the reef. • Water depth changes from 100m to 10m almost instantly. • Slope from reef to seafloor is about 1/6. • Roughly equal to slightly less than the maximum slope a wave can endure before breaking. • Teahupoo translates to “broken skulls”. Break

  6. Break is about 1 km offshore • It is very difficult to paddle out to where the waves are breaking. For an experienced surfer it would take a solid 25 to 30 minutes of constant paddling. • It is recommended to be taken out by boat or drug out by jet ski. Accessing the Surf Break

  7. Considered the world’s “heaviest” wave. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYQQtxb8wv0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfPYVYc0U3M • Face often 10 times larger then the back. • Greater wave heights caused by more powerful swell. • Under 6 feet 95% of the time. • Best wind direction is from the NNE(offshore) • occurs 36% of the time. The Wave

  8. Summer months: November thru April • Increased: Temperatures, precipitation, and humidity • Winter months: May thru October • Decreased: Temperatures, precipitation, and humidity • Average air temperatures: 77-85 • Average water temperatures: 77-84 Weather Patterns

  9. Seasonal Prevailing Winds • NE trade winds dominate from January to April • SE trade winds from May to August • Easterlies from September to December • Chance of hurricanes during summer • Offshore winds do not coincide with winter • Local weather patterns controlled by local topography • Rainier on windward side of islands Yellow = NE trades Brown= SE trades Weather Patterns (cont.)

  10. Easiest way to travel to Teahupoo is by plane. The average time it takes would be about 15 hours on the plane and additional time spent waiting for connecting flights. • Very Expensive • US Airways flight out of Philadelphia to Tahiti totals $1,128 with stops in Charlotte and Los Angeles then finally arriving at Papeete, Tahiti. • American Airlines flight out of Philadelphia to Tahiti totals $2,077 with stops in Chicago and Los Angeles then arriving at Papeete, Tahiti. • Once in Papeete, Tahiti one must either rent a car or take public transportation to Teahupoo. Travel Costs/Airlines

  11. Friendly locals because tourism is a major component of French Polynesia’s economy and therefore provides many jobs. • Local Languages • French • Tahitian • Local currency is the CFP Franc • 1 dollar = 86 CFP Francs • Local wildlife • Tiger sharks • Giant centipedes Local Information

  12. Teahupoois home to the annual ASP Billabong Pro. • Fifth stop on ASP World Tour • This single event brings out some of the worlds best surfers • Former stop on bodybuilding world tour Competitions at Teahupoo

  13. It is recommended that you have a board that fits the curve at Teahupoo. No long boards because the curve will toss any rider with a long board. Around 6’9’’ is a good board size. • It is also recommended to bring two spare boards. There is an increased chance of board breakage at Teahupoo. • Bandages and power for reef cuts are also recommended. Since the break is on a reef, many people get cuts and scratches on the coral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlzSy_lUUvc&feature=related Type of board and other necessities for riding Teahupoo waves

  14. Wave Models Wave Height Wave Period and Direction

  15. Wave Models

  16. Actual breaking wave heights corroborate to what would be expected. Waves Models Approximately what waves would look like Teahupoo wind and swell statistics

  17. "Teahupoo." GlobalSurfers an Online Surf Travel Resource, by Surfers for Surfers with Free Surf and Travel Guides. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.globalsurfers.com>. • "Teahupoo Surf and Swell Size and Direction | SURFLINE.COM." SURFLINE.COM | Global Surf Reports, Surf Forecasts, Live Surf Cams and Coastal Weather. Web. 31Oct. 2011. <http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/teahupoo-tahiti_8366/>. • "Teahupoo Swell Statistics." Surf Report, Surf Forecast, Surfing. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.surf-forecast.com/charts/Teahupoo/surf/statistics/year>. Works Cited

  18. Wilson, Peter. "Kelly Slater Wins 2011 Billabong Pro Tahiti - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/story/_/id/6908358/kelly-slater-wins-2011-billabong-pro-tahiti>. • "Tahiti Surf Season, Surfing Conditions Tahiti- Waterways Travel." Surfing, Surf Charters, Surf Trips- Waterways Surf Adventures. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.waterwaystravel.com/surf_tahiti/tahiti_seasons.php • "Search for Cheap Airline Tickets at Cheapoair.com." Cheap Flights, Airline Tickets, Cheap Plane Tickets, Cheap Airfare – CheapOair. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.cheapoair.com/default.aspx?tabid=1682>. • "Surfing Teahupoo – Tahiti | The Big Wave Blog." The Big Wave Blog: A Chronicle of Big Wave Surfing From Oahu's North Shore. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thebigwaveblog.com/surf-spots/teahupoo-tahiti>. Works Cited

  19. National Weather Service: Environmental Moeling Center. NOAA, 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/viewer.shtml?-multi_1-latest-pacific-hs_sw1->. • Stanley, David. "Tahiti Travel Guide." South Pacific Organizer. N.p., 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.southpacific.org/guide/tahiti.html>. • Waldie, Adam. "Teahupoo-Anatomy of a Monster." Tracks. Tracks Magazine, 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.tracksmag.com/Spotlight/Postcards/TEAHUPOO-–-ANATOMY-OF-A-MONSTER.html>. Works Cited

More Related