Tom is a wave scientist and coastal engineer.
He has a PhD in wave breaking mechanics and is a specialist in surf zone processes and wave-structure interaction.
He is based between Raglan, NZ and Sydney Australia. He is a Technical of Coastal Engineering at the engineering consultancy Tonkin + Taylor and an honorary lecturer at the University of Auckland.
He hates long walks on the beach, but enjoys long point breaks, modelling and understanding surf breaks and a good overtopping event.
Anatomy of a wave: what makes the Olympic surf break at Teahupo'o unique – and so challenging
Jul 29, 2024 11:47 am UTC| Insights & Views Sports
As the Olympics get going in earnest this week, not everyones attention is focused on host city Paris. Surf fans are heading to Tahiti, half a world away in French Polynesia. Why? Well, apart from the French coast...