PARIS (AP) — The huge waves are forming in the storm belts of the Southern Ocean off Antarctica, where whales roam. Charged by strong winds, the waves then roll on an ocean journey of thousands of kilometers (miles) to crash on Tahiti in the South Pacific.
There, in the waters of the volcanic island where next year’s Olympic surfing competitions will take place, surfer Kauli Vaast is waiting.
If the Tahitian-born 21-year-old catches one of the waves just right, he’ll harness its incredible power as it rises into an angry, foaming wall of water. If he stays upright, he will zip through the crystal blue tunnel that forms around him when the wave breaks, emerging unscathed and cheering with a grin on his face.
“Simply the most perfect wave in the world,” says Vaast, who hopes the island’s legendary surfing conditions are his ticket to a gold medal.
The decision to hold Olympic surfing in French Polynesia next July will require participants to brave some of the world’s biggest waves. The location promises more dramatic television images than when the sport made its Olympic debut at the 2021 Tokyo Games. At that time, waves at Tsurigasaki Beach were modest at times, and COVID-19 affected the atmosphere.
But the distant venue also raises clear logistical and environmental questions, as the rest of the Summer Games are focused on the host city of Paris, nearly 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) and 10 time zones away.
The need to fly 48 surfers, judges, journalists and others so far contradicts Paris organizers’ stated goal of cutting the Olympics’ carbon footprint by half. Four other surf spots that also applied were on the French Atlantic coast and were easily accessible by train and bus from the French capital.
But for big wave enthusiasts like Vaast, Tahiti makes sense because it’s home to Teahupo’o, a village on the south coast with lagoons that take the full force of the swell, creating dream surfing for the brave.
“If the conditions are really good, it will be a great competition to watch,” says Vaast. The Olympics “will be like crazy.”
Teahupo’o is translated from Tahitian as “wall of heads”. The name refers to a tribal battle in which heads were severed, but it also fits such fearsome waves. The deep ocean floor rises steeply as it finally approaches Teahupo’o’s offshore reefs, pushing water into towering walls and giant, rolling tubes.
They are dangerous. Surfers who fall risk having their bodies thrown toward the sharp, shallow coral that tore chunks out of Hawaiian surfer Keala Kennelly’s face when she fell in 2011.
With Teahupo’o’s surf breaking offshore, the Olympic referees must also be in the lagoon. Organizers plan to install them and television cameras on an aluminum tower that will be attached to the reef. This plan sparked protests in Tahiti. His critics fear for corals and other marine life.
Tahitian surfer Matahi Drollet is one of the most vocal opponents. His protest videos on Instagram have garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Acknowledging widespread concern about the Olympics’ footprint on Teahupo’o Lagoon, Vaast says, “We (are) all scared if they do something big.”
But he also expects the Olympic spotlight to boost the tourism industry, which is the foundation of the Tahitian economy.
“It will be great to see how many people are interested in French Polynesia,” he says. “And with the construction work for the Olympic Games and such, there is a lot of work for the local people.”
Vaast is one of only two French Polynesian surfers to have qualified so far. The other is Vahine Fierro in the women’s competition. Vaast grew up surrounded by the vast Pacific and swam, fished and surfed as a child. He mastered the Teahupo’o waves for the first time when he was just eight years old.
He remembers being afraid of her reputation, but he was fascinated by her beauty and power. Tahitians say the waves contain “mana,” life-affirming spiritual energy. Vaast believes his intimate knowledge of Teahupo’o will give him a home advantage and the “opportunity of a lifetime” in July.
“I don’t feel this energy anywhere else in the world, only in Tahiti, in Teahupo’o,” says Vaast, who often goes on the surf tour. “When you go there you have to be respectful because if you respect it, the sea will respect you too.”
For France, the Tahiti venue will allow the host country to highlight its long historical ties to the Pacific and incorporate its far-flung overseas territories into the Summer Games.
Teahupo’o, Tahiti’s jewel, will delight you.
“When you’re in the barrel, you see the mountains” and the colors are “super clear,” says Vaast. “You can see the corals underneath. … Nice. The most beautiful place in the world.”
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AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games