A Labor of Love: Olympic Qualifiers Describe What it's Like to Surf Teahupo'o

The Shiseido Tahiti Pro is underway at Teahupo'o and all eyes are on the legendary wave that'll be the 2024 Olympic arena.

For most of us, surfing Teahupo'o will never be anything but a dream.

But in the Olympics.com article below, we get to see the wave through competitor's eyes.

Here's some of the article's best quotes:

Johanne Defay: "Damn, I'm like, magical or terrifying."

Carissa Moore: “The first time I surfed Teahupo'o was my senior year. I flew here right after graduation and I felt like I was thrown into the deep end of the pool and I had no idea how to swim. You see it on the video footage and it’s so much more intense and scary and nothing like you ever imagined."

Vahine Fierro: "It's a beautiful wave but at first I avoided that wave for a long time. I never wanted to go when it was breaking, when I knew there was swell, because I was quite terrified by it. It's a very intimidating wave, a scary wave, and it has reef underneath. I put my time in and found the beauty of it. Once you get a good wave out there, it's almost like you get addicted. The best drug I think you can ever have is to catch a wave at Teahupo'o and then you will forever come back to get in a new one. It was a slow relationship with that wave."

Kauli Vaast: “(Teahupo'o) was the biggest fear for me because I always heard that Teahupo’o is a scary wave...You have to be very prepared physically and mentally because this place, it’s not a game. When it’s getting big, it’s the heaviest wave in the world for me and the most perfect wave in the world also so you have to be very focused because if you fall, you can hit the reef and that’s the danger."

Gabriela Bryan: "I'm not going to lie, it's a very scary wave. It is heavy, it is shallow. You have to be fearless at that wave. You need to just put your head down and paddle and pull in."

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.