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Gallery: Unridden Gems During Pre-Olympics Swell at Teahupo’o

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  • Gallery: Unridden Gems During Pre-Olympics Swell at Teahupo’o
“I’m not sure whose board is in the lip,” says Chachi, “but they made the right decision to pull their leash to avoid getting sucked over the falls on a monster set.”

Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig

They adorn walls as pieces of framed art, they drift through the unconscious mind during sleep, and they appear in students’ notebooks in scribbled, daydreaming fashion. Empty waves…there’s something about the pristine, chaste canvas of a breaking wall of water that inspires both beauty and envy. Especially in the minds of salivating surfers.

As such, Teahupo’o, Tahiti is one of the most coveted, and perfectly photographic, canvases in the world. It also just so happens to be the venue for surfing’s appearance in the Paris 2024 Olympics. And in the days leading up to the big event – follow along with our countdown – there was a hefty swell that previewed perhaps, hopefully, fingers and toes crossed, what’s to come.

Locals (unsurprisingly) stood out; a handful of the international competitors arrived early for some practice runs; and plenty of waves rolled through the Teahupo’o reef unridden. For the latter, photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig had his finger on the trigger. Keep scrollin’. 

Related: Olympic Surfing 101: Everything to Know Before Paris 2024

[All photos and captions courtesy of Ryan “Chachi” Craig]

I think this wave probably takes the cake for the most terrifying unridden wave of the swell. A combination of the darker skies, mixed with the thickness in the lip from a bit more west in the swell angle made this slab almost too terrifying to even mind-surf.
Not nearly as adrenaline-producing a wave as some of the others in this gallery but with a peak further up the point also barreling, it stuck out to me as unique and beautiful.
Slowing down the shutter speed can be a fun way to keep shooting into the darker moments of a session, and when the waves get really perfect like they do at Teahupo’o, the results came be beautiful.
Small inside ledge Teahupo’o can produce some of the most beautiful and picturesque shots of a trip when the sun is shining and the wind is calm.
There were quite a few empty waves in the early morning hours during the biggest day of the swell (Thursday). Especially the waves that had a bit more of a westerly angle and hooked-in on the end section of the wave.
One of my favorite views of Teahupo’o is the vantage point of watching a wave from the lineup against the backdrop of the mountains. On the bigger days it’s not uncommon to watch waves spit 30ft into the air.
Teahupo’o just might be home to the most aggressive foam-balls on earth. The lip carries so much energy that often violently explodes upward and inward inside the tube.
Teahupo’o is one of, if not the best, wave in the world to enjoy as a spectator and watch closely from a boat.
The last bits of sunlight illuminate the exploding whitewater after an afternoon of pumping surf.
A wall of swell lurches upward as it rushes over the shallow reef. The bathymetry of Teahupo’o is unique with an extremely deep ledge just outside the break that transitions quickly into shallow water.
This is some of my favorite lightning in the world and a common visual in Tahiti and other tropical locations. A passing storm gives way to bright and silvery light while dark clouds sit on the horizon.
Crisp sunrise light and light offshore winds are a beautiful combination for photographs.
A perfect wave somehow sneaks through a hungry pack of surfers.
Even though Tahiti is located in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean there are still so many days where the wind is completely slack and some of the most glassy conditions can be seen. This wave was breaking slightly too far up the reef but made for a dreamy photo.
Quite possibility the most perfect Teahupo’o wave I’ve photographed in my life.