Three of the best surfers on the WSL World Tour, Caroline Marks, Tatiana Weston-Webb, and Tyler Wright discuss Teahupo’o with Dave Prodan on The Lineup. This is not usually a topic that the WSL dive into, as there isn’t currently a CT women’s event there, but they thought this could be a huge driver in opening up the conversations. Here the women discuss their experiences of surfing waves such as Teahupo’o.

On first experience surfing Teahupo’o:

• Tatiana Weston-Webb

“My first time surfing Teahupo’o was in 2014 or 2013. I went with a Body Glove crew, and Anthony Walsh was there helping me. It was the swell where they were filming Point Break 2. There were huge tow sets and then paddle waves in between. I was out when it was building – not when they were doing the stunts for the movie. But I just remember watching the ocean fold over itself and it is the most insane thing you’ve ever seen in your life…It is incredible and frightful at the same time.”
“I went for all the wrong waves, I got sucked over, I would duck-dive sets and then got sucked over while duck-diving sets. I did airdrops where I broke my board…I basically got my butt handed to me and loved every minute of it.”

• Tyler Wright

“Maybe 2014. Rip Curl sent me on a trip with Owen [Wright] and one of the groms as well. It was a last-minute thing, chasing a swell, and it was the point where I had just done P-Pass in January or the year before and I had a general interest in chasing bigger waves….I’ll be honest. That wave scares me. The first time I saw it, I think it was properly between 8-to-12-foot, and it scares me.” ◦ “It is the one wave that I am actually petrified of…I’ve never felt like being in such a small amount of water and flying across the reef. You drop your arm for a second and it rips half your arm off and you have tiger claws all through it.”
“Teahupo’o scares me. It is a wave of huge consequences. That day I surfed it, it was 8-to-12 foot, and now, I probably wouldn’t do that.”

• Caroline Marks

“The first time I went was a few months ago. Thankfully the whole week I was there was pretty fun-sized. It was a perfect first time to Teahupo’o. It never got too crazy, scary big but there were some days where it was still intimidating. Luckily it was really fun the whole time I was there and I think it would have been great for the women [in competition]. I had an incredible time and it was probably one of my favorite places that I’ve visited. It is definitely an intimidating and scary wave, but I thought it would have been perfect for the women.”

Photos: WSL