![A surfer goes airborne off a wave at Lower Trestles,...]()
A surfer goes airborne off a wave at Lower Trestles, the surfing jewel of Southern California, near San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![Surfers make their way on the path to/from Lower Trestles,...]()
Surfers make their way on the path to/from Lower Trestles, the surfing jewel of Southern California, on July 18, 2024, near San Clemente, California. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![A surfer does a slashing turn on a wave at...]()
A surfer does a slashing turn on a wave at Lower Trestles, near San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![Surf instructor Lucas Taub, middle, reviews videos while coaching young...]()
Surf instructor Lucas Taub, middle, reviews videos while coaching young surfers at Lower Trestles, near San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![A surfer rides a wave at Lower Trestles, the surfing...]()
A surfer rides a wave at Lower Trestles, the surfing jewel of Southern California, near San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![Team USA surfer Caroline Marks, middle, gets a hug from...]()
Team USA surfer Caroline Marks, middle, gets a hug from a supporter during a surprise send-off celebration for her and surfer Griffin Colapinto at H.H. Cotton's in San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
![Jake Howard, left, editor-in-chief of Surfer Magazine, shakes hands with...]()
Jake Howard, left, editor-in-chief of Surfer Magazine, shakes hands with Team USA Olympic surfer Griffin Colapinto, middle, after he and Olympic surfer Caroline Marks were presented with leis after they were surprised with a send-off celebration at H.H. Cotton's in San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. Colapinto and Marks are leaving to join the 2024 Team USA Olympic surfing team to compete in Tahiti. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
A surfer goes airborne off a wave at Lower Trestles, the surfing jewel of Southern California, near San Clemente, California, on July 18, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
ExpandLocals call the wave Teahupo'o, which loosely translates to "wall of skulls." It has fascinated and terrified the world's elite ocean athletes since it was first surfed in the 1980s.
