Frames: Mind-Blowing Moments at Teahupo'o

In 2001 Kieren Perrow (AUS), who was competing as a wildcard, posted one of the highest heat scores of the day (28.20 out of a possible 30 points) to advance into Round 3. The then-upstart beat 1999 World Champion Mark Occhilupo (AUS) and Jake Paterson (AUS) in the process.

In 2002 Kelly Slater -- then a six-time World Champion -- was sidelined to the losers' round when he arrived 10 minutes late for his Round 1 heat against Mick Fanning (AUS) and Peterson Rosa (BRA), and narrowly missed out on advancing into Round 3.

Tahitian surfer Vetea "Poto" David, was completely at ease in 2002, dropping in to barrel after barrel amid the screams of the Tahitian spectators in the channel nearby.

Taylor Knox (USA) put on a show in 2002 to top Australian Luke Hitchings in Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Teahupo'o, as it was called in its early years.

Mick Fanning (AUS) only got as far as Round 3 but that was just the start for the elite surfer, who's faced down Teahupo'o in competition for 10 years.

The late Andy Irons (HAW) faced local wildcard Hira Terinatoofa in 2003 in one of the day's most anticipated clashes. Irons didn't disappoint: He posted the second Perfect 10 of the event that year and scored the highest combined tally of 19.70 out of a possible 20 points.

Taj Burrow eliminated fellow Australian Nathan Hedge in Round 4, advancing into the Quarterfinals where he would take on Hawaiian Shane Dorian in 2003.

Kelly Slater (USA), the defending two-time (2000 & 2003) event winner, was at his freakish best throughout the 2004 event, collecting two 10s on the way to the Semifinals.

2001 World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) clinched the Billabong Pro Tahiti title that year, posting a near-perfect 19.83 to eliminate six-time World Champ Kelly Slater (USA) in the Semis, and going on to defeat Nathan Hedge (AUS) in the Final. Hedge suffered a head injury after a nasty wipeout during the heat, leaving victory in Hobgood's hands.

In 2005, local wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF) was towed into a wave that locals claimed was one of the biggest ever ridden at Teahupo'o. Drollet had won the Tahiti Nui/VZ Trials the week prior, and enjoyed some heart-stopping moments towing in with the late Andy Irons (HAW) and his brother Bruce (HAW).

Shane Dorian (HAW) dominated the shifting lineup during the event that year, charging straight into the takeoff zone without waiting for a set. The former CT-surfer-turned-big-wave-enthusiast scored three huge backside tube rides before anyone else had caught a wave.

The late Malik Joyeux (PYF) and his tow partner, fellow Tahitian Manoa Drollet, proved they were the tow-in Dream Team at Teahupo'o. No one in the world at the time was riding as deep in so many enormous tubes as Joyeux and Drollet in May of 2005.

Three-time World Champion and 2002 Billabong Pro Teahupo'o winner Andy Irons (HAW) rode a 12-foot wave during his second warmup session in 2005. Perfect conditions allowed the world's best to test their mettle at the dangerous lefthander prior to the start of that year's waiting period.

Kelly Slater (USA) celebrated his sensational victory by drinking a beer on his last wave of the 2005 Billabong Pro Tahiti Final. Moments before he paddled into his final wave of the event, he requested a beer from a fan, then proceeded to ride deep in a tube. Seconds later he emerged and sipped the sweet taste of success, making history with his victory score, a perfect 20 out of 20.

Joel Parkinson (AUS) entertained the crowd with his cheeky barrel antics in 2006.

Surfing against Dean Morrison and needing a 7.00 to win, Andy Irons (HAW) came flying out of a barrel in the dying seconds. Knowing he had gotten the score he needed, he claimed it by pretending to fire a shotgun. While he was busy doing that, Morrison got an even better barrel on the next one but Irons didn't see it. There was an announcement that Morrison had won, but Irons still did not hear it, and Deano had to paddle over and say, "Umm, sorry mate, I think I won."

Bobby Martinez (USA) turned the surfing world upside down in 2006 by pushing past a host of established pros on Tour to claim his first-ever major event win.

Air Tahiti Nui Von Zipper trialist Anthony Walsh (AUS) scored a Perfect 10 during the 2007 trials Final, advancing in second place behind Manoa Drollet (PYF).

Tahitian gun Manoa Drollet (PYF) defeated Anthony Walsh (AUS) during a blockbuster Final at the 2007 Air Tahiti Nui Von Zipper Trials. He pulled into a heaving tube to claim a 9.60.

Damien Hobgood (USA) won the 2007 Billabong Pro Tahiti, beating Mick Fanning (AUS) in a last-minute victory in 5-to-7 foot (1.5-2 metre) surf. Hobgood had bowed out of the 2005 Billabong Pro Final halfway through after dislocating his shoulder -- which made his win two years later all the sweeter.

Missing Round 1 in 2008, Kelly Slater (USA) had his eyes glued to the surf report and showed up just in time for Round 2, where he defeated Jamie O'Brien.

Bruno Santos (BRA) earned legend-status in 2008, when he defeated Manoa Drollet (PYF) in the first all-wildcard Final in history.

With a stiff offshore wind holding him up in 2010, Kelly Slater (USA) dropped into the only Perfect 10 of the event and finished equal third.

In 2010, Andy Irons (HAW) captured his first World Tour victory in three years, defeating C.J. Hobgood (USA) in the 2010 Final. Along the way, he also defeated Mick Fanning, Patrick Gudauskas and Kelly Slater, before unleashing his unparalleled backhand tube-riding skills to collect the win.

Julian Wilson (AUS) capped off a flawless day of competition in 2011, netting a near-perfect 9.83 out of a possible 10. The Houdini-esque, no-hand barrel saw him steal victory away from an in-form Josh Kerr (AUS).

Jeremy Flores (FRA) proved the ultimate showman in 2011, pulling into what was arguably the heaviest wave of Round 2. He would go on to become the second surfer in history to lock in a Perfect 20 heat total, scored in his Round 5 matchup against Michel Bourez (PYF).

Matt Wilkinson (AUS) became the third surfer of the event to be awarded a perfect 10-point ride, after he threw himself over the ledge and into a cavernous Teahupo'o tube in Round 2 of 2011. Wilkinson attempted to repeat the feat, but his zealous approach came with a price: The 22-year-old was gobbled whole and rag-dolled across Teahupo'o's razor-sharp coral, resulting in cuts and bruises and a third trip to the doctor.

Laurie Towner (AUS) rode one of the biggest swells ever to hit Tahiti during a Code Red in 2011.

Bruce Irons (HAW) rode the Code Red Swell: It was one year after his brother Andy had won the Billabong Pro Tahiti, and less than a year since he had passed away.

Nathan Fletcher (USA) riding the wave that won him the XXL Wave of the Year award.

After the chaos of the Code Red Swell, the ocean delivered an epic final day and Owen Wright (AUS) secured what was then the best result of his career, finishing runner-up to Kelly Slater.

Slater won the Billabong Pro Tahiti that year, picking up steam in the flawless conditions. He eliminated an in-form Josh Kerr (AUS) in the Semifinals before meeting the lethal goofyfooter, Owen Wright, in the Final. Slater utilized his backhand tuberiding technique to earn an 18.43-point heat total, which was more than Wright could muster.

Mick Fanning (AUS) defeated friend and fellow Aussie Joel Parkinson in the Final of the 2012 Billabong Pro Teahupo'o. Fanning staked his claim to a third World Title as he won the legendary event in Tahiti by just a half of a point, 18.87 to Parkinson’s 18.37.

In 2013, John John Florence (HAW) was one of the early standouts at Teahupo'o. He dropped a perfect 10 in Round 3 with one of the biggest barrel-to-snap combos of the event. Ultimately he came up short in the Quarterfinals, where he dropped another 10-point ride against Aussie Ace Buchan, and won the Andy Irons Most Committed Award.

Despite surviving horrific wipeouts throughout the 2013 competition and riding an incredible backhand barrel in the Final, Kelly Slater could not match Buchan's scores, and finished runner-up.

Buchan won the 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti over Kelly Slater, scoring back-to-back 9-point rides in the Final. His scores rewarded phenomenally deep forehand barrels, including a death-defying tube in the dying moments of the contest.

The 2014 Semifinals pitted heavyweight chargers John John Florence (HAW) and Kelly Slater (USA). They had been the undisputed stars of a historic event; between them they scored 17 rides in the nine-point range throughout the contest and each had scored a perfect 10. When their last scores of the heat dropped, they were tied at 19.77. In a tense tie-breaker, the win went to Slater. Their heat won the WSL Award for 2014 Men's Heat of the Year.