So here we are, T-minus just mere hours from Olympic surfing's Tahitian debut. Qualified surfers have been trickling in the last week, getting their first glimpse of just how big of a production this is going to be.
After months and months of construction following the devastating floods in 2023, surfers arriving at The End of the Road's iconic little roundabout will find a beautiful new walking bridge spanning the rivermouth that feeds the lagoon, and fresh paved walkways along the beach towards the end of the point.
Return visitors will know: There are no hotels or resorts anywhere within a short drive from Teahupo'o, which conveniently keeping crowds to somewhat of a minimum. Most National Teams reserved their own private Homestays-locally-owned, communal properties on families' properties-and will have found their daily rhythm.
According to a handful of local crew, the forecast doesn't look terrible at all. In fact, there's a chance heats might run on Day 1.
Saturday, July 27th they are calling for potentially head-high to overhead sets, with multiple Southwest and West Southwest swells crossing up to create complicated conditions. Not ideal, but the chance for a few chunky ones on the West Bowl, and what look like really mellow winds.
Sunday, July 28th previous day's swell drops a touch, while a fresh pulse of SW swell fills in throughout the late-AM and afternoon. There's a very good chance it will still be contestable, and with relatively good winds and clean conditions most of the AM and into the afternoon, which should be bigger and more organized than the day prior.
Beginning Monday the 29th, a low pressure system will roll in from the west, bringing with it the potential for a few days of onshore winds and less than contestable conditions, which should lift by August 1st. This could change, obviously-Tahiti's tall mountain ranges and unpredictable weather systems means conditions can change in an instant.
As the weather clears and conditions begging to clean starting on August 2nd, there is chance for another pulse of good SW swell to finish out the event Aug 3-5th.
The official Heat Draw for the Opening Round was released earlier this week, with a handful of really exciting match-ups to start things off with a bang.
While we'll have a chance to see all these surfers compete at least twice, there are a handful of Opening Round heats that we're particularly eager to see.
On the women's side, the event kicks off Opening Round Heat 1 with World Champ and 2023 Tahiti Pro winner Caroline Marks, against South Africa darkhorse Sarah Baum, and Portugal'sYolanda Hopkins. Following up in ORH2 is this year's local wildcard and Teahupo'o champ, France's Vahine Fierro, coming up against Peru's Sol Aguirre, and from the Basque Country, Spain's Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri.
Heat 4 might be the most stacked Opening Round heat of the entire event, Men's or Women's: Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb, Australia's Molly Picklum, and the USA's Caitlin Simmers, all three of them on paper favorites at the event this year. Closing out the opening round, Hawaii's defending Gold Medalist, USA's Carissa Moore against Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot and Japan's Matsuda Shino.
Of the 24 surfers competing, there are contenders in pretty much every Opening Round heat on the Men's side of the draw: Jordy Smith and Ethan Ewing in Heat 1, against Germany's Tim Elter. Australia's Jack Robinson in Heat 2, against South Africa's Matthew McGillivray and France's Joan Duru. Brazil's defending World Champ Filipe Toledo and Japan's Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) in Heat 3, against Peru's Alonso Correa.
Heat 4, Teahupo'o killer Gabriel Medina takes on against Connor O'Leary (surfing for Japan) and El Salvador's Bryan Perez, followed by Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam, Brazil's Joao Chianca, and New Zealand's Billy Stairmand in Heat 5.
Heat 6, John John Florence takes on Spain's stylish underground goofyfoot Andy Criere one Mainland Mexico's most barreled youth, Alan Cleland.
Wrapping up the opening round match-ups, local boy and 2023 Tahiti Pro runner-up Kauli Vaast is up against Peru's Lucca Mesinas and the USA's Griffin Colapinto in Heat 7, followed by Indonesia's Rio Waida, Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti, and Japan's Reo Inaba.
Women's Opening Round
- Heat 1: Yolanda Hopkins (POR), Caroline Marks (USA), Sarah Baum (RSA)
- Heat 2: Sol Aguirre (PER), Janire Etxabarri (ESP), Vahine Fierro (FRA)
- Heat 3: Anat Lelior (ISR), Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN), Tyler Wright (AUS)
- Heat 4: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Molly Picklum (AUS), Caitlin Simmers (USA)
- Heat 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Candelaria Resano (NCA)
- Heat 6: Tainá Hinckel (BRA), Camila Kemp (GER), Luana Silva (BRA)
- Heat 7: Nadia Erostarbe (ESP), Siqi Yang (CHN), Saffi Vette (NZL)
- Heat 8: Carissa Moore (USA), Teresa Bonvalot (POR), Matsuda Shino (JPN)
Men's Opening Round
- Heat 1: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Tim Elter (GER), Jordy Smith (RSA)
- Heat 2: Joan Duru (FRA), Jack Robinson (AUS), Matthew McGillivray (RSA)
- Heat 3: Alonso Correa (PER), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)
- Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Connor O'Leary (JPN), Bryan Perez (ESA)
- Heat 5: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), Billy Stairmand (NZL), João Chianca (BRA)
- Heat 6: Andy Criere (ESP), John John Florence (USA), Alan Cleland (MAR)
- Heat 7: Kauli Vaast (FRA), Lucca Mesinas (PER), Griffin Colapinto (USA)
- Heat 8: Rio Waida (INA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Inaba Reo (JPN)
Learn more about Teahupo'o here.
Head to the International Surfing Association (ISA) for more information on surfing in the Olympics.