Billabong Pro Teahupoo

Billabong Pro Teahupoo is a professional surfing competition of the World Surf League held at the break Teahupo'o in Taiarapu, Tahiti. The Billabong Pro Teahupoo was founded in 1999 and has been recognized as "one of the world's heaviest big wave competitions".^{[This quote needs a citation]} This is because Teahupoo is the only known natural wave break in the world that breaks below sea level. The Billabong Pro Teahupoo has not claimed any lives since the surf competition began in 1999, but the wave has claimed lives over the years.

Billabong Pro Teahupoo

Current season, competition or edition: Outerknown Tahiti Pro 2023
Sport	Surfing
Country	French Polynesia
Most recent champion(s)	Jack Robinson (men) Caroline Marks (women)
Most titles	Kelly Slater (men) (5 titles) Keala Kennelly (women) (3 titles)
Official website	[1]

Billabong Pro Teahupoo location

The surfing event takes place in Teahupo’o, a village on the south-west coast of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. Teahupo'o is a reef break. The swells that hit the reef mainly break left, but the outer reef also creates right breaks that surfers must be cautious of when paddling out. Therefore, Teahupo'o is also "renowned for the consistent number of barrels it delivers". However, "only experienced surfers in peak physical condition should attempt Teahupo'o".^[1] The breaks heavy waves combined with a shallow shoreline can result in serious injuries and even death in a wipeout.

Billabong Pro Teahupoo wave break

The Billabong Pro Teahupo'o's reputation for wave riding is due partly to its unique form. An extremely shallow coral reef which ranges up to 20 inches beneath the waters surface is responsible for a very hollow-breaking wave. The wave's unique shape, with an effect of almost breaking below sea level, is due to the specific shape of the reef beneath the wave. Its semi circular nature which drops down sharply creates a 'below water' effect and the extreme angles in descent create an instant instability to the wave. A steep wall of reef causes the entire mass to fold onto a scalloped semi circle breaking arc. The wave bends and races along into a dry reef closeout and the lip of the wave is often as thick as it is tall. Combined, these unique properties have earned Teahupo’o the reputation as one of the most dangerous surf breaks in the world.^[2]

Billabong Pro Teahupoo competition

The ASP Billabong Pro Teahupo’o consists of four parts based an elimination process. The first is composed of the competitive heats. The second is composed of the Quarter Finals. The third is composed of the Semi Finals. The fourth and last part of the competition is the Finals. Once this process of the Billabong Pro Teahupoo competition is completed, then a Billabong Pro Teahupoo Champion is named.

Naming

Since the birth of this competition it had different names.

Winners

The Billabong Pro Teahupoo event names a new champion each year. The past champions of the listed WSL competition are located below.

Year	Winner	Nation	Score	Runner-Up	Nation	Score	Prizemoney
1999	Mark Occhilupo	Australia	14.50	CJ Hobgood	United States	9.50	$120,600 ^[3]
2000	Kelly Slater	United States	25.55	Shane Dorian	United States	20.25	$135,600 ^[4]
2001	Cory Lopez	United States	25.05	CJ Hobgood	United States	23.85	$250,000 ^[5]
2002	Andy Irons	Hawaii	22.65	Luke Egan	Australia	20.50	$250,000 ^[6]
2003	Kelly Slater (2)	United States	19.57	Taj Burrow	Australia	14.83	$250,000 ^[7]
2004	CJ Hobgood	United States	16.66	Nathan Hedge	Australia	8.67	$260,000 ^[8]
2005	Kelly Slater (3)	United States	20.00	Damien Hobgood	United States	17.5	$270,000 ^[9]
2006	Bobby Martinez	United States	16.27	Fred Patacchia	Hawaii	16.07	$280,000 ^[10]
2007	Damien Hobgood	United States	16.60	Mick Fanning	Australia	16.20	$300,000 ^[11]
2008	Bruno Santos	Brazil	9.16	Manoa Drollet	French Polynesia	6.83	$320,000 ^[12]
2009	Bobby Martinez (2)	United States	18.46	Taj Burrow	Australia	16.10	$340,000^[13]
2010	Andy Irons (2)	Hawaii	14.67	CJ Hobgood	United States	8.33	$400,000 ^[14]
2011	Kelly Slater (4)	United States	18.43	Owen Wright	Australia	17.10 ^[15]	$425,000 ^[16]
2012	Mick Fanning	Australia	18.87	Joel Parkinson	Australia	18.37 ^[17]	$425,000 ^[16]
2013	Adrian Buchan	Australia	18.94	Kelly Slater	United States	17.90 ^[18]	$425,000
2014	Gabriel Medina	Brazil	18.96	Kelly Slater	United States	18.93 ^[19]	$500,000 ^[20]
2015	Jeremy Flores	France	16.87	Gabriel Medina	Brazil	13.20
2016	Kelly Slater (5)	United States	19.67	John John Florence	Hawaii	15.23
2017	Julian Wilson	Australia	18.96	Gabriel Medina	Brazil	17.87
2018	Gabriel Medina (2)	Brazil	13.50	Owen Wright	Australia	12.07
2019	Owen Wright	Australia	17.07	Gabriel Medina	Brazil	14.93	$607,800
2022	Miguel Pupo	Brazil	17.17	Kauli Vaast	French Polynesia	15.00
2023	Jack Robinson	Australia	15.66	Gabriel Medina	Brazil	15.00

16. Billabong Pro Tahiti. (2013). ASP World Tour – The Association of Surfing Professionals.^[21]

17. Steve Robertson and Kim Kempton. Celebrating perfect 10’s at Billabong Pro Teahupoo. (2010). http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing-news/48143#.Ucz9vuDraFI

18. Billabong Pro Teahupoo. (2012). http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Event/Billabong-Pro-Teahupoo-021242894680885

References

1. "Surfing The Waves At Teahupoo, Tahiti". Cookiesound. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
2. "8 reasons why Teahupoo is the most dangerous wave in the world". Men's Journal. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
3. "GOTCHA TAHITI PRO 1999" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "GOTCHA PRO TAHITI 2000" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. (PDF). ASP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-23.
6. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2002" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
7. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2003" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
8. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2004" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
9. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2005" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
10. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2006" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
11. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2007" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
12. (PDF). ASP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-06.
13. "Billabong Pro Tahiti 2009" (PDF). ASP.^{[permanent dead link]}
14. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24.
15. . Billabong Pro. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
16. . Billabong. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
17. . Billabong Pro. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
18. . Billabong Pro. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
19. "Billabong Pro Tahiti". ASP. August 25, 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
20. . Archived from the original on 2014-09-01.
21. "Outdoor, Extreme & Vacation Adventures". Men's Journal. Retrieved 2021-08-26.

External links

• ASP website for the 2014 Billabong Pro Tahiti