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via Imago

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There are no second thoughts on whether surfing is one of the scariest sports out there. It is because of the numerous threats present in the lap of the ocean. Whether they are aquatic beasts like sharks or the critical situations created by deadly waves, surfers have to be very vigilant of the situations they are getting into. However, some forces of nature are beyond human control and can cause life-threatening incidents.

John West is a young entrepreneur who diverted his career from a real estate agent to a surfer. Moreover, a surfpreneur. He has been indulging in the surfing world for a while now, and has taken to posting different kinds of surfing videos depicting various sides of the sport. Some are pleasant and fun, whereas some show the dangers behind the scene. And in a recent video, he chose to show the latter one. 

A series of unfortunate incidences

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A real estate agent who turned into a surfpreneur, West shared a series of some of the worst wipeouts on his TikTok account. In the video, he selected three different videos of the deadliest wipeouts in Teahupo’o, a village in the Southern Pacific Ocean. In all three videos, the surfers had horrifying falls which must have led them to some major injuries. The first video of the three wipeouts, the surfer was seen on a big wave, when he suddenly loses his balance and has a terrible fall. The surfer could be seen cartwheeling at least three times on the surface of the water, before going into it.

 

On the other hand, the next surfer lost his balance and quite smoothly fell into the wave. However, as he turned in with the wave, he was thrown hard against the water. While the third wipeout was similar to the second one, he didn’t get as high on the wave, and managed to get in the loop from a much lower position. 

Read More | “Most Terrifying Things” 29-Year-Old Recalls a Life-Threatening Shark Attack Experience From 2016

The tremendously increasing popularity of Teahupo’o’s surfing arena is because of its massive and dangerous waves. Moreover, this interest is only speculated to speed up in the future. 

A major opportunity awaits Teahupo’o in 2024

Teahupo’o is a small village on the southwestern coast of the Island of Tahiti, in the Southern Pacific Ocean. It wasn’t a popular, or a known, place until the surfing craze kicked in. But since 1998, when Gotcha Tahiti Pro was organized in the village, the hype has been tenable. Now, even legends like Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, etc. visit the village to surf. In addition to all that, the popularity is just going to boost as the all important surfing event of the Olympics 2024 is going to take place at Teahupo’o.

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The famous surfer and surfing champion, Vaimiti Teiefitu, also reacted to this big news and shared her joy. She hopes that the Paris Olympics won’t change the landscape of Teahupo’o as it is known for its dangerous and unique waves.

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All three wipeouts in the video were lethal and must have caused injuries to the surfers. Wipeouts are not very rare in surfing and can happen at times depending on the nature of the wave and the balance of the surfer. However, regardless of how well-prepared or well-skilled a surfer is, big waves can get to anybody. Take it from surfer Billy Kemper, who once got wiped out and paralyzed by a massive wave. Yet, the passion for those blue waves beseeches every surfer out there, regardless of the dangers and drastic circumstances. 

Watch This Story: Top-5 Unwritten Rules That Will Elevate Your Surfing Game