(England, June 30 2003,. Unedited press release from Bill Mattos). Four well-known British kayakers have returned from French Polynesia in the South Pacific after a month of surfing some of the best reef-breaks in the world. Bill Mattos, Nathan Eades, Steve Childs and Tim Denson were the first kayakers successfully to surf the fearsome Teahupoo, well-known to surfers as the heaviest and most brutal wave in the world.

As well as the speed and power of its crushing lip, much of the wave’s terrifying reputation derives from the almost dry reef onto which it breaks. Since Teahupoo was revealed to the world in 1998 it has claimed a number of lives, and continues to be the worst nightmare of many pro-surfers. The boaters were more than equal to the task however, as were their carbon-kevlar Marauder surf-kayaks supplied by Mega Performance Kayaks. Both boats and paddlers returned from the trip largely unscathed, confounding many eminent critics who had billed their trip as an "impossible mission".

As well as the headlining Teahupoo, the boys were able to surf many more beautiful breaks including some secret spots that they were privileged to be shown by the local surfers, and bring back not only a mountain of photos and video but also the knowledge that kayakers can be accepted and encouraged by other surfers at some of the most heavy-duty locations in the world.

A technical report and some photos from the trip can be found at www.goatboater.com • later in the year video footage will be included in a number of screen projects.