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Monday, August 01, 2011

Toying with Teahupo



Teahupo....the place may not ring a bell in your mind. It certainly isn't one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. But on August 17, 2000 history got made in this little spot in Tahiti when world renown big wave surfer Laird Hamilton would ride the biggest wave ever.


There is no better video that sums up all my experiences and beliefs in a nutshell than this video of Laird Hamilton's life changing encounter with one particular wave at Teahupo, the wave that would eventually make his career and change surf history forever. When I discovered this story, I couldn't think a more fitting story to feature for the season finale of season 2 of my adventures in Argentina.

As you will see in the video, what made Laird Hamilton so famous wasn't the height of the waves he surfed. He had done that many times and so had many surfers.  Due to the unique set up at Teahupo, the waves there are thicker and the water is shallow. As a result a kind of a vortex gets created in the waves. One wrong move and it is a guaranteed instant death. Already one rider had lost his life attempting to take on the waves of Teahupo.

In my life, my highest hope is that I would always have the guts to ride any and every wave of opportunity that comes my way, even if it means paying the ultimate price one day. My relationships with Marisa is a sum of many, many risks that both she and I were willing to take and still are willing to take. We wouldn't be where we are today if either of us held back from that window of opportunity that crashed upon our shores time and again.

The best part about standing at the shore waiting to catch "The Big One" is knowing that I have someone there by my side with me.  And together we'll catch whatever wave comes our way....whether it makes us or breaks us :)

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Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas