‘The vibes are always good in Tahiti,’ says Lachie McKinnon, the blessed and forever-moving filmer from the Gold Coast, who’s currently on the ground awaiting the start of the 2016 Billabong Pro. Considering the setting, the scenery, it’s not hard to imagine why. Mountain ranges falling away into pristine blue waters, palm trees watched over by vast tropical skies—it’s what surfers dream of, what the world’s best are only too good at lapping up. But while the vibes from the shoreline in Tahiti may always be good, in the water it can be another story. Eighteen years of world tour events at the blockbuster venue and countless unforgettable freesurfing moments have taught us that. So what does this year’s Billabong Pro Tahiti have in store for us?
Well, there’s a world title race starting to simmer away, and it features a young Hawaiian widely regarded as the best tube-rider in the world; a back-to-back Teahupoo finalist and former world champ whose Brazilian countrymen believe is every bit the aforementioned surfer’s equal; and a runaway Aussie larrikin that is still clinging onto the lead he secured himself back at the start of the season when everyone was busy rubbing sleep from their eyes. And this could be the event that really blows that race open, that makes it apparent that hearts are going to be broken before the year is through. Throw into the mix Bruno Santos, the 2016 trials winner who’s not only made it to the main event before but hoisted the Billabong Pro Tahiti trophy above his head back in 2008, and you’ve got a wildcard more than capable of filling the danger-man role, especially considering he’s up against Matty Wilko in Round 1. Then there’s the guys who live for throwing themselves into the type of waves Teahupoo is renowned for, the Slaters and Kai Ottons and Jeremys of the tour, both fearless and fiercely competitive, not afraid to steal the limelight from the frontrunners and bolster their own faltering campaigns. And then, of course, there is the wave itself. Teahupoo, that hulking, flexing brute that has burned itself into the public consciousness over the last twenty years, the element that will ultimately decide what goes down once the event gets underway.
But all that is two days away, and right now the world’s best are busy warming up, familiarising themselves with the wave at a playful size, soaking up those good Tahitian vibes. And despite the less than ideal forecast, no one’s entertaining the idea that the wave won’t deliver.
‘Everyone’s frothing,’ says Lachie. ‘Everyone’s staying positive. It’s a long time till the end of the waiting period.’
Wise words. It’d be a foolish move indeed to underestimate Teahupoo.
For now enjoy this clip by Lachlan McKinnon of the early freesurfs!
Main article image: WSL/Shultz
