OK, Tahiti. First off, BOOM, amazing time at my first Teahupoo event.
Stayed with Luke Steds and Dayyan for the entire contest and we had a groovy time. We stayed with the Parker family and they have a great little establishment right on the point at Chopes.
With Steds and Dayyan stocking up with about 600 litres of water. © Joli
The contest is like nothing I’ve been in before. Sitting out in the water is unbelievable. There are literally 30 boats and 200 people a stone’s throw from the take off. As you surf the wave you watch all the people and boats fly by while trying to negotiate a crazy pit.
I had made it to the quarter finals and billabong decided to extend the waiting period for a swell that was coming. I was up against Cory Lopez. He is real good out there and a past winner of the event. I knew it would be a tough, tough heat. I didn’t think that after the first 5 minutes of the heat I would need a combo of 17.5 though.
So, I’m sitting with priority, Cory already had two high 8pt waves and this lump rolls in. I nearly missed it, but scraped down and stood in a perfect barrel and scored an 8.77. I thought, “Right, I’m back in this.” Cory had priority but made a crucial error, paddling and standing on a really bad wave.
Deciding whether to extend the contest for good waves. © Joli
The door opened a little for me. Then five mins later, a bomb wave rolls in and I take a real late drop, pull in, the wave goes white, but the spit blows me thru to the channel. The judges award me a 9.9. I take the lead. Cory is not happy.
Next heat i lose to mick fanning because of a similar error like Cory. I’m that frothing though, 3rd place at Chopes … thankyou very much. No complaints…BOOM.
Cheers
OTTZ
OK kids … I made it to Tahiti. I’m staying with Tommy Whits, Steds and Dayyan. We have a cool little crib on the point at Chopes. The boys have been rippin’ me all day about my shithouse mozzie net purchase. I paid 60 skins for what I thought was a crocodile-proof net, turns out it wouldn’t even stretch over my bed. Fuck, so ripped off. I’m now using an old $10 special I found in another room.
It looks big and luxurious on the packet
but looks more like this when ya try it on for size.
My froth got the better of me early today. I convinced the boys to paddle out without checking it in the dark. The call was ‘back to bed’ but I was frothin’ to surf so we charged out.
It’s been raining so hard all night that the whole ocean is poo brown. The waves were 2′ max and the current was crazy. We don’t have a boat so we have to paddle out to the break. It was terrible. The coffee and brekky chats were amazing though. Back with more during the week
Boom.
Ottz
