As Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc down and up the East Coast, the best big wave riders in the world were towed into the gnarliest surf ever seen at the Billabong Pro at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Keep in mind, this is not typically a tow-in event. But on Saturday weather miles offshore brought in waves that were far too large to paddle-into. We are talking walls of water so ominous that the Tahitian government issued a rare “code red alert,” effectively closing off the beach. But riders such as Koby Abberton, Bruce Irons, Dean “Dingo” Morrison and Maya Gabeira (plus the daring tow-in crews and water paparazzi in their shadows) refused to obey, risking hundred dollar fines (not to mention death) to capture glory, or adrenaline or whatever it was they were after. Sometimes breaking the rules pays off. Many in attendance say Nathan Fletcher caught the sickest wave of the year. The video above says it all.