Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Like a soap opera dance between two stars, sexually frustrated yet brimming with lust, surfing at Paris 2024 played a game of “will they, or won’t they?” on Wednesday.
Even before first light, the waves (née liquid avalanches) breaking off the reef pass were thunderous enough for one to mistake the sound for a rainstorm. But no, as the sun crept through the Jurassic Park peaks on land, it was a bright and sunny day. And that’s when the confusion began – was it too perilous, too giant, too sloppy to resume competition?
Related: Gallery: This Day Will Go Down in Olympic Surfing History
Tahitian legend, Tereva David, came practically sprinting down the dock just after dawn, tow ropes in hand, bristling with excitement about the potential for a big day of action out at Teahupo’o. Before jumping on the ski to have a look, he told SURFER:
“It’s a beautiful day. We’ve still got some big swell. The wind looks alright right now, so we’re gonna go for a little check, and see how it is. For sure there are a couple of big barrels. Pretty exciting for today. We didn’t expect how good it was going to be, but you never know with Teahupo’o. So, we’re gonna go check and see what happens.”
About five minutes later, Tereva returned to the dock – deflated.
“I don’t know…it’s crazy out there,” he said. “Maybe one in 10 waves are even rideable.”
From then on, it was a waiting game. The women’s Round Three of competition was on hold. At 10:15am Tahitian time, when the official call was supposed to be made, it first came in as ON. Then, shortly after, it was OFF. Ever heard of edging? Yeah, that’s what it was like.
Related: Surfing Is the Most Dangerous Olympic Sport; Day Three Proved It
Just two days before, Teahupo’o came alive in what many are calling one of the best (half) days of competition in surfing history. It also showed the world just how dangerous the sport can be. And, of course, Gabriel Medina went viral for the highest scoring wave in Olympic history (a 9.90), and the photo of him floating midair, like a Brazilian jesus, was seen ‘round the world. (After the shot dropped, Medina allegedly gained one million Instagram followers in an hour.)
Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Surfing, for a moment, stole the Olympic spotlight.
“I felt like that was a 10,” Medina told SURFER. “I’ve done a few 10s before here, and I felt, like, for sure that was another one. The wave was just so perfect. First, when I was paddling, I thought I was gone. I thought I wasn’t gonna make it. But I knew I needed to try. The wind was holding me back a little bit, as I was paddling into it. But I just went for it. It ended up not being a 10. But I was still stoked to get a 9.90.”
So, now what?
Related: Gabriel Medina Surfed the Best Wave in Olympic History (So Far)
The Olympics needs a day and a half to wrap up this whole circus in Tahiti and hand out some medals. And for the remainder of the window, it’s not looking like a repeat of Monday will happen. According to Surfline, Thursday is looking like a guaranteed run day, although not ideal:
“SSW to S swell eases through the day on Thursday with slightly more favorable southeast winds, again not ideal but there should still be sets hitting a few feet overhead in the morning.”
Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Beyond that, Saturday looks the best to wrap things up – but again, nothing too special. Surfline continued: “Over the weekend we will see a slight uptick in swell, but nothing that suggests surf bigger than the head high’ish range. A weak, disjointed fetch coming together now east of New Zealand will send a bit of shorter to mid period SSW swell that builds Saturday and eases on Sunday…I’m not that excited about it.”
Sounds promising, huh? (Kidding.)
Regardless of what happens in the coming days, surfing has officially arrived on the Olympic stage. The first three days showed the world what this sport is all about. And in the meantime, the Team USA women (Carissa Moore, Caroline Marks, and Caity Simmers) are all shredding the rivermouth, sharing tubes with the local groms. Time to close the computer; we’re out there.