Imagine a world where winning isn’t everything. Where great athletes are rewarded by their peers not just for their astonishing skills, but for the qualities that make them great. This is the world of ...

Photography by Gaetan Charlin, Leah Hahn, Anuanua Lucas, and Marcus Paladino. There’s been a lot of adjectives lavished on the amazing left reef outside Tahiti’s Passe Havaé over the past week or two.

On August 27, 2011, the Billabong Pro Tahiti event on surfing's World Tour was placed on hold due to a massive swell bearing down on the famed big-wave spot, Teahupoo. Paddling into waves was out of ...