A 56-year-old surfer has passed away after breaking his neck on the reef at the infamous Tahitian slab.

With the world’s best surfers heading to Tahiti for the upcoming Billabong Pro, we look at just why Teahupoo is the most dangerous wave in the world. Teahupoo is the most dangerous break in the world.

Photography by Gaetan Charlin, Leah Hahn, Anuanua Lucas, and Marcus Paladino. There’s been a lot of adjectives lavished on the amazing left reef outside Tahiti’s Passe Havaé over the past week or two.

In French Polynesia, waves are revered and feared at the legendary surf break off the village of Teahupoo. A swimmer navigates the water near Teahupoo’s famed surf break, which sits just a few feet ...