Current:Home > ContactHow Olympic surfers prepare for spectacular waves and brace for danger in Tahiti -Thrive Capital Insights
How Olympic surfers prepare for spectacular waves and brace for danger in Tahiti
View
Date:2025-04-17 06:48:22
The beauty and the beast, surfer Carissa Moore said of her sport, and the site for surfing during the Paris Olympics epitomizes the duality.
The wave of Teahupo’o, a small village on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, will provide breathtaking sights, with surfers barrel riding through the powerful, hollowed-out wave.
The face of those waves measured eight to 10 feet high for a pro competition in May and at other times have exceeded 20 feet.
“The takeoff point is super steep and critical, so you have to have the skill and reaction time to time it right,’’ said Moore, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 during the Olympic debut of surfing. “And if you don’t, there can be consequences.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from
“People have had big falls and big injuries, so just knowing that that’s a possibility, you’re like, ‘Oof.’ It makes that fear factor even greater. But you could also get the thrill of your life, the best ride of your life.’’
Just several weeks before the start of the Olympics, footage from Teahupo’o showed a surfer being towed into the wave on a jet ski. What took place next was a specular ride on a wave well over 10 feet and evidence the waves actually could be too big.
Surfers will need to paddle into Teahupo’o wave, a site where last year two highly regarded surfers suffered injuries that led to hospitalization.
“I’m a little nervous about the venue,’’ Moore said, “but I’m going to try my best, give myself the best chance.’’
Why is Olympic surfing in Tahiti?
Paris, about 100 miles from the nearest beach on the Atlantic Ocean, for obvious reasons is not a hotbed for surfing.
With about $100 million, the Olympic organizing committee might have built a wave pool within view of the Eiffel tower.
Fat chance.
France does have a handful of top-notch surfing sites on the coastline of other parts of the country. But the chances for quality surf there are remote from July 27 to Aug. 5, the window for the Olympic surfing competition.
Enter Teahupo’o, which historically produces spectacular waves during this time of year. Yet issues remained.
For starters, logistics. Tahiti is almost 10,000 miles from Paris, which means the surfers will not be able to participate in the Opening Ceremonies on July 26. They will, however, be able to take part in the Closing Ceremonies.
Then, there are environmental concerns. The Olympic organizing committee faced opposition from residents of Teahupo’o and environmental groups that feared the surfing competition would damage the coral reef and potentially compromise the wave itself.
The Olympic committee made compromises in building a scaled-back judges’ tower. Now, with those hurdles clear, the wave of Teahupo’o can do its thing.
“It doesn't get better than this,’’ said Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association.
Understanding the Teahupo’o wave
You don’t have to be an oceanographer to understand why the wave of Teahupo’o is one of the best and most dangerous in the world.
“It's very simple to understand it for a person that doesn't understand the ocean,’’ said Aguerre, president of the ISA.
OK, class in session.
Tahiti, a volcanic island, is steep and high and drops sharply, Aguerre explained. Like most of the French Polynesian islands, he added, it is surrounded by a ring of shallow coral reef.
This shallow water is the wave breaks. Where it begins is in a zone more than 300 feet deep.
“So the wave comes with all this power from deep water, deep ocean,'' Aguerre said.
The wave picks up speed as it moves from the relatively short distance between deep to shallow water. The dynamic produces not only one of the strongest waves in the world but also a fast ride, which typically lasts less than 10 seconds.
In practice, Moore said, she has worn an "impact suit'' with foam to protect her back and legs if she were to fall onto the coral. Griffin Colapinto, a member of the U.S. Olympic surfing team, said he experimented with a helmet during practice in the spring.
“So far,’’ Colapinto said, “my experience has been that you can pretty much get the best wave of your whole life at the risk of dying.’’
veryGood! (43)
Related
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- Andrew Cuomo sues attorney general for records in sexual harassment probe that led to his downfall
- How Patrick Mahomes Scored the Perfect Teammate in Wife Brittany Mahomes
- Macy's layoffs 2024: Department store to lay off more than 2,000 employees, close 5 stores
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Ohio State lands Caleb Downs, the top-ranked player in transfer portal who left Alabama
- These Are the Best Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas of 2024 for Your Family, Besties, Partner & More
- Ohio is poised to become the 2nd state to restrict gender-affirming care for adults
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- How Patrick Mahomes Scored the Perfect Teammate in Wife Brittany Mahomes
Ranking
- Hidden Home Gems From Kohl's That Will Give Your Space a Stylish Refresh for Less
- Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder Pay Tribute to Twilight and Vampire Diaries Roles on TikTok
- FTC tied up in legal battle, postpones new rule protecting consumers from dealership scams
- Small plane makes emergency landing on snowy Virginia highway
- Vance jokes he’s checking out his future VP plane while overlapping with Harris at Wisconsin airport
- Shawn Barber, Canadian world champion pole vaulter, dies at 29
- Soldiers find workshop used to make drone bombs, grenade launchers and fake military uniforms in Mexico
- How Patrick Mahomes Scored the Perfect Teammate in Wife Brittany Mahomes
Recommendation
Small twin
Two British warships collided in a Middle East port. No one was injured but damaged was sustained
'1980s middle school slow dance songs' was the playlist I didn't know I needed
These home sales in the US hit a nearly three-decade low: How did we get here?
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Six-legged spaniel undergoes surgery to remove extra limbs and adjusts to life on four paws
37 Massachusetts communities to get disaster aid for last year’s flooding
Green Day reflect on the band's evolution and why they are committed to making protest music