If the social clips are the appetizers, these videos are the main course. Surfers and filmers alike have finally caught their breath between Southern Pacific swells that slammed Tahiti this month. But time removed has not made those Teahupo’o waves on August 5 and 6 any less impressive. First up is Jack Robinson’s calm before the storm. It starts with fishing, family time and sunset dinners. An utterly wholesome Tahitian vacation. Then the swell hit, and things get dark (in the barrel, that is).
Tim Bonython seems to turn up at every major swell these days. Be it semi-secret slabs, Nazaré, Jaws or Maverick’s, the guy just gets there with camera gear in tow. Teahupo’o is one of the few places where filmers can post up on boats just feet away from bone-crunching tubes. And Tim has made a habit of clocking in just outside the danger zone. Here’s how the Australian filmer summed up the second day.
“Local Teahupoo prince Matahi Drollet put on a masterclass, towing into mutant bombs alongside powerhouse Lucas Chumbo, with a stacked crew of Tahitian chargers — Kauli Vaast, Lorenzo Mateia Hiquily, and Gilbert Teave — pushing deeper and faster into the pit.
“The world’s best weren’t sitting on the sidelines either,” he continued. “On the eve of the WSL comp, Griffin & Crosby Colapinto, Leonardo Fioravanti, Seth Moniz and Italo Ferreira all tested themselves against the beast. The Hawaiians were out in force too — Koa Rothman, Eli Olson, Kala Grace, Barron Mamiya and Tiger Doerner — all locking into giant, heaving caverns. And just when the tow frenzy peaked, the paddlers struck back. Rising talent Jacob Turner led the charge, proving the future at Teahupoo is just as fearless as the present.”
Speaking of fearless, the North Shore’s dynamic duo of Koa Rothman and Eli Olson made sure to score Teahupo’o on both XL days. Peep Eli’s wave from the day before that caught Griffin Colapinto by surprise (that’s Griffin’s board in the lip). Koa only caught one wave while towing the second morning, but he said it’s up there with the best he’s ever had.
Even for two of North Shore’s best surfers, a thick Teahupo’o swell commands attention. And after a dawn patrol tow session, Eli and Koa went back out in the evening to join the paddle session. Then a morning surf before the comp started. You just can’t quit on Tahiti.
Related: More Wallpaper-Worthy Moments From A Monumental Teahupo’o Swell Bender