Frames: Calm Before the Storm

Sebastien Zietz looked for lost treasure in caves not far from the Teahupo'o reef.

Joel Parkinson tried to stay sharp, finding a few walls on the lay days.

Teahupo'o veteran C.J. Hobgood still managed to find some lay day pits.

The local Tahitian surfers, as always, also put on a show.

An explosion of color and sound during the opening ceremony was meant to awaken the sleeping giant Teahupo'o.

Local Tahitian hero Michel Bourez spent some of his downtime with hometown fans.

Nature's soft drink kept Jadson Andre stayed hydrated in the tropical Pacific heat.

It's a fine line between the pleasure of a Teahupo'o tube and the pain of its reef.

Barely knee deep in some places, the razor sharp reef is always on every surfer's mind.

Like its many waterfalls, Tahiti's beauty starts at the peaks of its volcanic mountains and flows down into the ocean.

Mermaids do exist in Tahiti.

Tahitian reefs feature numerous channels cut by fresh water that runs down the mountains and into the ocean.

Jadson Andre dodging the paparazzi.

Gabriel Medina surveying the Teahupo'o lineup

Freddy Patacchia exiting a drainer.