The day documented in this "surfiving" video was a miracle, plain and simple.
The Spring 2003 Tahiti sessions saw forty-four of the world's best touring surfers, a handful of hellmen, and a local crew whose knowledge and talent are unmatched in these waters meet The Swell From Hell head-on.
The heaviest waves on the planet exploded on Teahupoo's reef as Malik Joyeux, Strider Wasilewski, and Cory Lopez towed into bombs that flat-out dwarfed Laird Hamilton's historic ride from 2000 and (barely) lived, to the amazement of the gallery in the channel.
Tahitians Raimana Van Bastolaer, Vetea Poto David, and Manoa Drollet showed their familiarity with the cavernous barrels.
And Bruce Irons and Jamie Sterling scored giant tow-ins, with Sterling blowing out his eardrum in the process.
Meanwhile, at The Right, death-defying barrels are forgotten for an afternoon as Chris Ward, Kalani Robb, Joel Parkinson, Shea Lopez, and Taylor Knox blow the tops off of some of the best high-performance waves the world has to offer.
And the (other) reason everyone's here in the first place - the Billabong Tahiti Pro goes off in epic conditions.
Andy Irons, Shane Dorian, Cory Lopez, and crew score perfect barrels, with Kelly Slater weaving through mind-blowing sections in an epic final against Taj Burrow to claim his second Teahupoo win.
Commentary by Shea Lopez and Pat O'Connell.