March 22nd. Opening day at Teahupo'o this year was far from perfect -- weird winds, rain squalls, and raw, 15-foot swell, creating ultrathick, chunky 30-foot-plus faces. But these ski-assisted days, when the swell of the year hits the reef at the End of the Road, the boys are on it.

Watch local legends Vetea 'Poto' David and Manoa Drollet lean back into a couple thick ones, while Raimana Van Bostolaer gets one of the heaviest tubes of all time. Next, Brad Gerlach nabs yet another backside barrel. As an added bonus for the masochists, Dave Kalama cartwheels down the face into oblivion in one of the worst wipeouts ever captured on film. Ouch. Click here for more photos and a full explanation of the day by Mike Parsons, right here for an in depth look at the swell that rocked the entire Pacific Ocean, and if you're nuts enough to want to see that stuff in person, click here for Surfline's Teahupo'o Resort Guide.

Music: 'Summertime Rolls', Jane's Addiction
Video: Jeff Doner, Double Vision Films
This clip is from Jeff Doner's lastest film, 'Raising the Bar', which is available now on DVD.