Teahupo'o

Teahupoʻo is a powerful left-breaking reef wave off Tahiti's southern coast, beside the village of the same name. Its shape is closely tied to the seabed: swell crosses deep offshore water before meeting a rapidly rising reef. NASA Earth Observatory describes how that abrupt change concentrates the incoming wave into the heavy barrels for which the break is known.

South and southwest swells align with this coast, and NASA identifies April through October as the period when waves tend to be strongest. That is a seasonal pattern, with individual swells and local conditions shaping each session. Teahupoʻo is also the name of the nearby village. AP reporting describes local efforts to preserve village life and the surrounding environment amid attention from international competition.