Sports and Recreation
Sports and Recreation

7 Most Dangerous Waves in the World (PHOTOS)

Stephanie Valera

Pipeline, Hawaii

Professional surfer Mikala Jones wipes out during the opening round of the XBox Pipeline Masters December 11, 2002 in Haleiwa, Hawaii. (Photo by Phil Mislinski/Getty Images)

Surfers have always been on a quest to ride the biggest, most incredible waves. Some of these monster waves reach skyscraper height with a force that can push a surfer as much as 51 feet underwater, according to National Geographic. These dangerous waves can also toss surfers onto perilous, razor-sharp rocks and reefs after a wipeout. 

What creates these big waves that daredevil surfers would travel across the world to ride? According to meteorologist Chris Dolce, the wave heights and interval between waves are dictated by the strength of the winds, the duration of the winds and how far they blow over the ocean.

"A couple of sources for the generation of big waves are strong low-pressure systems spinning over the ocean during the winter and hurricanes in the summer," said Dolce. "Sometimes the waves that surfers encounter can be generated from a storm more than 3,000 miles away."

Banzai Pipeline, located off the North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii is considered the mecca of surfing, with a legendary tubular wave created where the shallow water and coral shelf combine to resemble pipes, according to Home to many surfing competitions, such as the Pipe Masters, surf pros come here to ride some of the biggest, most treacherous waves in the world. In the winter, the waves are known to reach up to 30 feet high before they pound the sandy shores.  Depending on size, the Pipe breaks over one of three reefs, according to the famous steep First Reef, which breaks most often and has more impact, the Backdoor train, the Second Reef with large unbroken wave faces, and the rarely-surfed Third Reef with extra-large waves.

Often considered the world's deadliest wave, several professional surfers and photographers have been killed at the Pipe, including Tahitian Malik Joyeux, who was known for riding Teahupoo, another surf break famed for its epic waves.

NEXT: In Tahiti, the "heaviest wave in the world"

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