Killer Conditions
Some surf spots are really worth losing your head over. There are places where that can be taken more literally than others.
1. Mavericks, California
Mavericks, photo Shalom Jacobovitz
Pick your poison here: The frigid Great White-infested Northern California water has a reputation for holding surfers under for unsurvivable lengths of time.
2. Dungeons, South Africa
Great white shark near Dyer Island, photo Olga Ernst
In this case, the right break, while intimidating is still not as scary as the proximity to Seal Island, where sharks famously breach over the water, gnashing seal snacks in their jaws.
3. Teahupo’o, Tahiti
Teahupo’o, photo Lookitt
A wall of ocean even wider than it is high that breaks in just a few feet water over a sharp coral reef earned the wave the rumor that its name translates to “chop the head.”
4. Pipeline, Oahu
It might not be the biggest or the nastiest, but, largely owing to accessibility, it’s the deadliest wave in the world—breaks over a jagged and broken reef just offshore that slams and rakes surfers over it and has even been known to impale them.
From Whalebone’s Guide the World’s Most Dangerous Destinations in
