| Tour in Tahiti // Event 19 September 2009 By: Tristan Boxford with Jamie Mitchell Location: Tahiti Famous the world over as one of surfing's most notorious, challenging and revered waves, Teahupo'o in Tahiti congers up excitement, anticipation and fear in even the most accomplished world class surfers. While watermen such as Laird Hamilton have pioneered the spot for SUP surfing, the sport has remained, for the most part, a novelty at this jaw-dropping wave deep in the South Pacific ... that is, until the Stand Up World Tour decided that there would be nowhere better than this infamous wave to showcase its principal players and demonstrate to the world where the sport is at, and perhaps more importantly, where it is heading.  Australians Dave Muir and Jamie Mitchell were teamed up with Chuck Patterson from California to represent the International Team. The boys went head to head against the best watermen from Hawaii and Tahiti including Ekolu Kalama, Duane DeSoto, Kainoa McGee and Vetea David. "This group of guys is awesome. They are all guys I really respect in the water", said Jamie Mitchell regarding the calibre of contenders he was up against. This adventure wasn't quite like any other, water based aboard two 46ft catamarans, these SUP professionals had the luxury of choosing where they surfed, where they slept and which part of the beautiful Tahitian paradise they woke up to each morning. As Jamie said while onboard, "The boat trip element is fun. It's good to be able to cruise around Tahiti and check it all out". Stepping off the flight, we were promptly shipped off to the port with our mountain of oversized surfboards to meet our new homes for the coming two weeks, the Moorings catamarans. First impressions are always critical and we had certainly not been let down - a warm welcome, perfect tropical temperatures and cold beers greeted us on board. As Jamie put it, "Tahiti is beautiful. It's just so pretty. It's always good to get over there, for sure".  Well over head high sets and light wind conditions were on offer for the first day, providing fun surf with the storybook Tahitian backdrop of bright green valleys dropping down into brilliant turquoise lagoons and all the underwater life you could imagine. Everybody was ripping and ready to set the pace with hard power carves and vertical snaps off the end bowl. With Teahupo'o beckoning us later in the trip, it was great to put the riders into some more rippable conditions that test their overall abilities before the barrel-riding showdown that lay ahead. Jamie had a particularly interesting session, being forced to come in early after a heavy wipeout, "There was one where I snapped my paddle, lost my GoPro and also nearly lost my family jewels (laughs)". The next day, instead of chasing small, mediocre and windblown waves, we decided to head up the coastline in search of a different kind of thrill, swimming with sharks and stingrays. Some of the group had visited this location before, but for several of us, it was a first. As we stepped off our boards onto a sandbank, we were met by a swarm of sting rays that were the most docile and friendly creatures imaginable. They were all over us. We fed them the reminders of the fish caught en route and they were quite literally our new best friends. Despite a slightly cooler reception, the white tip reef sharks were also there in abundance, keeping their distance, but close enough to almost touch as they passed. The thrill of being in our own private and interactive aquarium in the middle of the open ocean was indescribable and the versatility of stand up paddling was once again exemplified - to be able to moor up, throw the boards off the side and explore was just ideal. "Adventure is always good and I love seeing new places and doing new things so I loved it", said Jamie, reminiscing about some of the amazing experiences they had.  During a lay day, we devised a waterman challenge that would test the athletes' cross section of ocean skills, giving them the chance to keep their competitive spirit alive. First up was the relay - this consisted of a figure-eight stand up paddle race, a figure-eight prone paddle race and finally a swim around the boats. Paddling champions Ekolu and Chuck were chosen by respective teams for the initial leg. On starters orders, they both raced off the line, Chuck looked strong with the slightly larger board, but Ekolu, not giving up, kept right on his heels. At the first handover the International team was in the lead. Dave Muir powered away next in the prone paddleboard leg, ahead of a battling Keali'i Mamala as they rounded the boats and headed back for the next handover. The International team was still holding onto the lead as Jamie Mitchell dove off the cat for the swim leg. Keeping a steady pace, Jamie arrived back at the finish line in first place. Kainoa McGee put up a good fight but had to accept defeat on behalf of the Hawaiians. As a team, the International boys were an Aussie weighted affair, with Dave and Jamie joining the only Californian, Chuck, but as Jamie put it, "I think everyone got along well. Pretty much everyone had met each other before, but all in all, it was a really good vibe". It is an incredible sight arriving at Teahupo'o for the first time. The English translation for this village is ‘the end of the road', which is very literal, as it is located right at the end of the road on the south side of the island. Beautiful mountains and carved out valleys descend to the shoreline, looking out on one of the most spectacular waves I've ever seen, let alone ridden. Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, Jamie was forced to leave the Tahitian leg of the tour early, just a day before the arrival of the real swell. A great disappointment for the International team. Jamie explains, "Mother Nature had the last laugh. She wasn't too kind to me but, hey, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I had a great time anyway".  It was a pleasure having Jamie on board and he is certainly someone to look for as we move into the 2010 Stand Up World Tour. A proven competitor thanks to his unbeaten record at the Moloka'i to Oahu paddleboard race, he has more recently turned his hand to big wave riding, both tow and paddle in, and now, stand up paddle surfing. The latter has recently become a focus, with Surftech launching a Jamie Mitchell model. A last minute call to move back to the small reef pass in the last remaining hours of daylight saw the athletes hit the water with more competitive drive than ever. This was the first heat style format that we ran on the trip. In an exciting series of showdowns, we witnessed a dynamic display of stand up paddle surfing by all in the playful head high right-handers.  The next morning saw the International team further depleted with the departure of Chuck Patterson, leaving Dave Muir as the last man standing. Teahupo'o at eight feet is one of the most awe-inspiring sights. Hard to put into words, it was just beautiful, mesmerising and enough to put even the most fearless warrior on his guard. It was everything I had imagined and more, as each of the athletes scrambled to get their boards together and themselves out onto the break. As the day progressed, there were so many epic rides that went down. From Guillaume Bourligeux's first barrel that that had him staring up at the immense cavern that surrounded him, to Didier Tin Hin's seemingly endless barrel. Ekolu then pulled through for the Hawaiians with a couple of epic barrels, which encouraged fellow Hawaiian Duane DeSoto to follow suit with some deep grab rail barrels. Not to be left out, Dave Muir was firing on all cylinders, pulling into some super thick ones and taking one of the heavier wipeouts of the day, tweaking his neck in the process. As Jamie said, "Dave charges and was a professional footy player back in Australia so yeah, he can handle the big stuff". We have to mention Kainoa McGee's contribution too, from his barrels to the moment that he was suspended under the lip, with the board over the lip and the paddle in the air - as is expected with any McGee moment, his booming voice accompanied the fall in a way that only he can do. Finally, Hawaiian Keali'i Mamala and the remaining three Tahitians, Vetea David, Patrice Chanzy and Arsene Harehoe all claimed their own epic barrels and played their part in a history making day - epic conditions hosting some of the highest performance paddle surfing ever witnessed.  | |
