The Topography of Beach Waves

Teahupoo: Teahupoo is said to be the longest and heaviest wave in the world. The unique shape and the effect of almost breaking below sea level is due to the specific shape of the reef beneath the wave. The shape of the reef at Teahupoo is so unique that it is almost an impossible find. Waves formed at Teahupoo come from deep water and enter shallow water dramatically as the water climes 350 meters in a distance of only 50 meters. This instantly throws the wave over into a gigantic plunging wave able to fit a truck. Teahupoo comes to life during the summertime when the big south swells are active. These swells occur when high and low pressure systems merge causing intense wind and air pressure to create high waves and long wave lengths. Most of the best days at Teahupoo seem to happen when there is virtually no wind and it is perfectly flat.

Peahi: The Peahi waves need specific, rare weather conditions to reach there extreme heights. Because ocean swells large enough to produce this kind of surf occur only during winter months, primarily between December and February, they typically coincide with very strong winds which have a large effect on the surf. Other swells, particularly the small but powerful trade wind swells, can make the surf choppy and difficult to ride. This is caused by high pressure in the Pacific causing bumpy and vigorous waves as wind speeds intensify. The reef and rocks at "Jaws" are shaped in a way that magnify incoming swell energy and produce clean and well defined  waves with gigantic plunging sections.


Cribbar: The reef at Pipe is a flat tabletop reef, with several caverns on the inside, creating a giant air bubble that pops on the front of the wave when the wave lurches upwards just before breaking. Sand can build on the reef at Pipeline, and that can cause waves to "close out". This means the hollow tube of the wave collapses all at once making it impossible to surf. A strong current from the west, caused by low pressure systems, clears out the sand in the reef, and after that, a strong north swell can create the best waves. The Summer months create these waves as Low Pressure systems mix with High Pressure Systems causing fetch and wave height to increase creating a large area of mixed waters.
When the reef is hit by a north swell, the peak becomes an A-frame shaped wave. As the size at Pipe increases, Second Reef on the outside starts breaking, with longer walls and more size. At an extreme size an area called Third Reef even further outside starts to break with giant waves.