The Ultimate Wave Tahiti

There are 118 islands

in French Polynesia.

There's Bora-Bora,

Rangiroa, Moorea,

and of course,

the most famous

of all, Tahiti.

The great surfers have

all made this long trek

across Tahiti.

Most often they are

hosted by the legendary

Tahitian surfer

Raimana Van Bastolaer.

My guest is Kelly Slater,

a nine-time world champion.

Most people regard him

as being the greatest

surfer ever.

On the far side

of the island of Tahiti,

near the village of Teahupo'o,

there is perhaps the most

dangerous wave on Earth.

Surfers call it

"the demonic wave."

Hey.

Hello.

Hey.

I try to

get the surfers here

at just the right time

when the waves are

expected to get big

and gnarly.

It is Raimana

that advises his guests

when to come to Tahiti

and surf the famous wave

at Teahupo'o.

It's a wave

that's hard to predict

because there are

so many complex factors.

Wind, tides

and distant storms.

It will come when

it's good and ready.

Ocean waves are

echoes of the ebb and flow

of vast energies

moving through

the solar system.

Gravity's invisible hand

reaches out across

empty space

to shape the oscillating

dance of the planets

and their fluids.

The spin of the Earth

and its tug of war

with the moon and sun

help shape the planet's

currents and tides.

But it is the sun's

radiant gaze

that imparts

the greatest energy.

Light's uneven heating

induces the atmosphere

and oceans

to perform

a chaotic ballet.

Currents of hot and cold chase

an impossible equilibrium.

A zone of low pressure

can draw in air

from thousands

of miles around,

generating winds

of enormous power.

When Kelly comes to Tahiti,

the whole village comes out.

We have a big group of friends

and everybody is invited.

Good surfers or bad,

nobody gets left out.

That's what

I love about surfing.

It's an honor to have

so many great surfers

come visit us,

guys like Shano and

my old friend Kelly.

I often come here to

tune up between competition,

and I like to hang out

with Raimana.

We call him

the mayor of Teahupo'o.

He takes

personal responsibility

for everything,

including the weather.

His goal is to

make everyone on Earth

happy all of the time.

The waves

are perfect today.

Are you kidding me?

Check that,

it's the worst wind

we're having here.

We need

some swell.

We need something big.

It's going to come,

you know, but,

I don't know, maybe...

How do you say? The sun...

No, the moon, full moon,

we got to wait

for full moon, too.

You know?

Right now, this morning,

on the way back...

Sometimes when

the waves don't show up,

you have to pretend

you know more than you do,

and just keep

everyone busy.

We better get some

big waves, you know?

Come on!

Whoo!

The big Tahitian

waves can pin surfers down

until they drown.

Raimana insists his guests

are well prepared

both physically and mentally.

Raimana pretends

he is not the least

bit competitive,

but he would rather drown

than come up for air

before me.

Perhaps

a demonic wave is

by definition unpredictable.

on rare occasions,

the surf at Teahupo'o can

be as gentle as a kitten.

When the waves

are still small,

all the little ones

in the village

know it's their turn

to go surfing.

And it's time for me

to get some lessons

from Fa'arua,

my neighbor's kid.

Raimana would

probably tell you

that surfing is

not something

that can be taught.

Well, there may not

be teaching going on

around Raimana,

but there's clearly

a lot of learning.

Raimana has

the surfing talent

to be a champion,

or at least when he was

young and skinny,

but he wouldn't

compromise his family,

not for a moment,

not for a second.

Oh.

It's beautiful, huh?

Yeah.

But Raimana

can get pretty restless

waiting on the waves.

In Tahitian culture,

there are dozens of gods

that influence

the waves and the weather.

We rely on his expertise.

The island of

Tahiti and those nearby

were born out of the deep.

Upwelling of

a hot mantle plume

from Earth's interior

promoted melting of rock

under the oceanic crust

and the migration of magma

toward the surface.

Over several million years,

as the Pacific plate

drifted over the hot spot,

a chain of

volcanoes was formed.

Depositing blankets

of lava and debris,

the volcanoes rose

more than 10,000 feet

from the seabed to

the ocean surface,

and built great fiery mounds

that would erode into

mountainous islands.

All that now live

on these islands

arrived from elsewhere,

drifting, swimming or flying

above the ocean currents.

Plants, birds,

fish, insects and humans

gradually turned the black,

sterile volcanic rock

into a Garden of Eden.

Early explorers

reported smelling

the flowers of Tahiti

long before their

sailing ships appeared

over the distant horizon.

Our people

came to the islands from

across the Pacific

1,000 years ago

in small canoes.

They must have had

extraordinary courage.

Legend has it

an ancient warrior

named Pai

threw his spear

into the mountain peak

on the island of Moorea.

It must be true,

because you can see

the hole in the rock

to this day.

Coral reefs

eventually formed around

the volcanic islands,

growing thicker

and sinking deeper,

creating formidable barriers,

but at the same time,

protecting island beaches

from the relentless

pounding of the sea.

Deep-sea currents push cold,

nutrient-rich water up

the flank of the island.

Pounding waves and surge

help pump dissolved gases

and nutrients

through the coral gardens,

creating a density

and diversity of life

otherwise impossible

in the warm,

nutrient-poor waters

of the South Pacific.

I love coming

to Tahiti

because its reefs

are still healthy

and filled with life.

But the ocean is both

warming and absorbing CO2,

becoming acidic.

Sooner or later,

if we aren't careful,

we will destroy the reef

and all that goes with it.

The fish, the people

and the islands themselves.

I've seen reefs damaged

all over the world.

This world

of light, energy and life

is made possible

only as a result

of the volcanoes that

formed these islands.

Without them,

these islands would be

10,000 feet deeper,

near freezing,

and locked in

perpetual darkness.

Here in the vast wilderness

of the South Pacific

is an oasis of

extraordinary life,

a world of vibrant beauty

that has already vanished

from much of the planet.

Yet here the reefs

still sustain

and inspire

the people of Tahiti,

and enchant visitors

from around the world

who come to dive,

snorkel and surf.

The diversity of life

in this place is tied

to the corals.

They provide habitat

and nourishment

to both the smallest creatures

and the greatest hunters.

SLATER:
People worry

a lot about sharks,

but I don't give them

too much thought,

unless you were

to fall on the reef

and are bleeding in the water,

that's not good.

You should probably

get out of the water

pretty fast.

Raimana loves

the paddleboard.

He can stand up and

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes