It's all down to the angle I had and that was because my boat-driver was crazy enough to get me in that position. I see it as a gift from God because I didn't do anything creative. It's been published, talked about and won awards. I knew the shot was going to have a life of its own. He told me he was thrown around so violently that, at one point, he reached up to check his head was still connected to his body. Just after this was taken, the wave collapsed on him. None of us could understand how Nathan survived. In the shot, he has just burst through a ball of white foam.īig waves have been ridden before, but this was another level. He got pulled on to it by a jetski and it was only when he got to the bottom and started riding through the barrel that he realised it was a big one. When he saw the shot afterwards, he was blown away – he'd had no idea how big the wave was. It shouldn't have been possible, but somehow Nathan Fletcher surfed it. Other photographers on boats higher up were looking down into the tube, so they didn't get all the water churning white in the background, which shows you the true height of the wave.Ībout 5% of the waves could be ridden, but this wasn't one of them. The trails you see in the foreground are from the other boats and jetskis. With this particular wave, my boat was last over so we got furthest inside. I was in the fifth row and by the time a wave reached us, we'd be going straight up its front and barely making it over. Then the second would go over a bit faster. Every time a new wave came in, the first line of boats would slowly go over the top. They didn't realise the danger: somebody could easily have died. I've been going to Teahupo'o for a long time and knew how dangerous it was, but a lot of people must have thought they were in an amusement park. It was absolute chaos out there: about 50 boats in five lines were going over the incoming waves, while, all around, there were jetskis, surfers and people in canoes and on paddleboards. Then I saw the first wave and thought it was the most horrifying thing ever. I got a ride out on a jetski and begged my way on to a boat.
But a couple of people snuck out, saw how it was, then some more followed, and within a few hours everybody was out there.
Officials were telling people they could lose their licences if they disobeyed. The harbour was closed, and boats weren't allowed out.
NATHAN FLETCHER FAMILY SURF PRO
It came in August 2011 during the Billabong pro surfing competition at Teahupo'o in Tahiti, although a code red swell meant the contest had been called off. I believe this is the greatest wave ever surfed and I've never met anybody who disagreed.
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