Im a hardcore surfer of almost 24+ years now. Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-poo) or "Chopes" as all the surfers call it is an interesting wave due to the depth that the wave comes in on (very deep) and them rolls onto a 3ft deep razor reef shelf and breaks. The wave stands up vertical and shows no mercy to mistakes. It breaks on southwest swells. It's also a wave you typically dont paddle into when it starts to crank and get big....you have to tow in with a jetski assist else you will never get the speed and timing to be able to make the drop. Guys that do fall on it hope to hell that they make it over the reef and get washed into the bay to which you need a boat or jet ski assist to get out.
While it is dubbed the heaviest, there are other spots that match it. A place called Shipsterns in Tasmania almost makes Chopes look like an easy wave. Shipsterns does the same thing... comes in on deep water and then breaks on a granite slab only a few feet deep.
There is also a place called Cyclops in west Aussy that makes both Chopes and Shipsterns look like childs play.
You can check out Chopes in action back from the 2011 "Code Red" swell at the Billabong Pro. Watched that contest live and was glued to the screen. Balls. Those guys had em. Teahupoo translates to "server the head" in english. You can understand why after watching the vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBgWI_BTyM
