When Billabong rented a high-speed Phantom camera for the 2011 Billabong Pro in Tahiti, they hoped for slow-mo shots of the world’s top 32 surfers at Teahupoo. However, they ended up with far more than they bargained for.

With camera crews, a webcast audience, and the pro-surf circus in place for the event, a perfect storm appeared on the charts. The swell was so massive that organizers deemed it too dangerous for the event, which rarely happens in competitive surfing.

What would unfold on the day of the mega-swell will be remembered as one of the heaviest tow-sessions of all time. And thanks to the army of surf media on hand, we get to see it in 1000-frames per second. This is a new 15-minute chronicle of one of the most well-documented swells that surfing has ever seen, Code Red.