A couple of weeks ago, local Tahitian surfers and residents organized a protest in opposition to the proposed aluminum judging tower that’s to be built on the reef at Teahupo’o for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Locals and visiting surfers alike are worried the planned infrastructure–along with the potential laying of underground pipes–could have detrimental effects on the reef and local ecosystem.
Surfers–like chargers Matahi Drollet and Lorenzo Avvenenti–are pleading with the local government and Olympic Committee to ditch these potentially harmful construction plans in favor of using the wooden tower normally used during WSL events.
A petition has been circulating online and has gained international attention.
Longtime SURFER photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig was in Tahiti during the protests and captured the event–along with a coinciding swell–to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the efforts to stop the construction. Take a peek at the below gallery, and if you haven’t already, visit the Change.org petition here.