Day one of surfing's Olympic debut in Tahiti was greeted by head high, oil glass groundswell - a little slow, but totally contestable considering the next few day's forecast.
While there were slow stretches, for the most part the swell's pace and size, not to mention the added international drama, made for very enjoyable viewing.
Men's Opening Round:
Opening Round Heat 1: Australia's Ethan Ewing vs South Africa's Jordy Smith vs Germany's Tim Elter
Ethan Ewing picked off the wave of the heat to open the morning-the type of Teahupo'o drainer that more pedestrian surfers dream of-getting gently blown out with the spit. Nimble as ever, Smith was able to fit his tall frame into some cute little pits, while Tim Elter, the lone German, struggled to find a scoring wave in the slow Teahupo'o lineup. Ewing heads to Round of 16 while Smith and Elter head to the Elimination Round.
Joan Duru survives the Opening Round with a buzzer-beater to secure his spot in the Round Of 16. - ISA
OR Heat 2: France's Joan Duru vs Australia's Jack Robinson vs South Africa's Matthew McGillivray
Jack Robinson opened up the heat with an easy 6.83, looking right at home at Teahupo'o, a wave he's spent as much time as anyone save for maybe locals Kauli Vaast and Vahine Fierro. Frenchman Joan Duru picked off a cheeky little inside ledge runner for a 6.17, and followed it up with a slightly shorter pit for a 4.67.
Matt McGillivray missed a couple opportunities, coming undone trying to add a little x-factor going no-grab backside, and will head to the first round of elimination heats. With seconds remaining, and with Robinson thinking he had the heat in the bag, Duru's last score-for a technical, long pit that Robinson and his crew might not have seen-came in as the highest score of the heat, a 7.63 and enough to leapfrog into the Round of 16.
OR Heat 3: Brazil's Filipe Toledo, Japan's Kanoa Igarashi and Peru's Alonso Correa.
Kanoa Igarashi continued the day's trend of clean, casual barrel riding with some understated punctuation marks at the end for a 4.13. Alonso Correa's scrappy answer back set the heat's pace, his score coming in at a 5.83. The Peruvian paddle-battled Igarashi back to the lineup to retain second priority, which he capitalized on almost immediately. Correa air-dropped into the wave of the morning so far, setting his rail and knifing under the lip just in time to set his line and get blown out into the channel for an excellent 8.50.
Filipe Toledo, visibly feeling a tremendous amount of pressure, couldn't quite shake the nerves through the first half of the heat, but finally chipped into a easy entry grower with a thick west bowl section and his best score of the heat, a 6.23.
3x World Champ Gabriel Medina takes the Opening Round heat win looking more than comfortable. - ISA
OR Heat 4: Brazil's Gabriel Medina vs Japan's Connor O'Leary vs El Salvador's Bryan Perez.
As expected, Gabriel Medina came out guns blaring, sending it on a few unmakeable waves before dropping two scoring waves, a 7.17 and 6.17, taking the lead and keeping it for the better part of the heat.
Connor O'Leary picked off his best wave, a 6.23, with three minutes remaining in the heat, followed by Bryan Perez, but neither were enough to build any last-minute momentum to overtake Medina.
"Tahiti is so beautiful, " said Medina after his heat. "I love this place, and to have the Olympics here is a dream come true. I'm happy with the opportunity, and with my first win. Hopefully I can get more waves in the next heat, but I'm happy with the first heat. I came in a good mindset. I feel happy and grateful being here with my stepdad [Charlie], after years of not traveling with him. I'm just trying to make the most of it, to make everyone proud, to make my stepdad proud. [Medina's boards from longtime shaper Johnny Cabianca] feel pretty good-fast, rides the foamball really well, gives me a lot of confidence."
OR Heat 5: Brazil's Joao Chianca vs Morocco's Ramzi Boukhiam vs New Zealand's Billy Stairmand
One of the quieter heats of the morning featured Joao Chianca and Ramzi Boukhiam scrapping it out, with Chianca coming out on top for two average score for short, medium-sized inside ledge barrels. Boukhiam and Billy Stairmand head to the Elimination Round while Chianca skips to the Round of 16.
"It feels good, feels amazing." Chianca said. "Teahupo'o just hits different. It's cool getting the mojo back, I'm here with the best surfers in the world and I know what it wakes to win an event since I've done it before. But it's been seven months since my injury, so it definitely hit different to be in the water at Chopes, perfect inside ledge. I know how I want to feel in the next heats, and I know what I want to do. This is the type of wave that I love. I think my surfing fits this wave really well. I've surfed this wave really well when it's big, I want to do a better job of surfing it small, but I think I'll get that dialed in. The pressure of a country on your back. We are surfing for such a big place, all Brazil will be watching this and rooting for us, here and in Paris. We have to bring our biggest game."
USA's John John Florence with an excellent heat total to start his Tahiti campaign. - ISA
OR Heat 6: USA's John John Florence vs Mexico's Alan Cleland vs Spain's Andy Criere
What was touted as the must-watch heat of the Opening Round, John John Florence dropped an early 8.00. Florence then backed it up by delivering the highest scoring heat and wave of the day so far, a 9.33 for the most technical, deep pit of the morning.
While Florence laid down a gauntlet neither the Spaniard nor the Mexican could get past, Cleland would have won any other heat of the morning with a pair of 7.17s, both demonstrating his remarkable comfort and technicality on his backhand in hollow waves.
"Joao Chianca is an amazing Barrel rider out here, Jack Robinson's amazing, Griffin's a really great surfer," Florence said. "Kauli Vaast is surfing really well. There's a lot of good surfers in this."
"It's so cool to be representing where I'm from, representing America and Hawaii. I'm feeling really good and excited and energized"
"I think, you know, you get into the heat and think, ‘How am I going to feel, am I going to be nervous?' And I think I just got into that and I was just excited," added Florence. "The waves were fun and I don't know, I feel like in a really good place right now. It feels so good to be competing at this point in time. Especially having to get to surf so many heats this year already and to have so much practice, making the finals here at the last event here and just a lot of time in heats here. I think that's really a big, important one, because you start to feel comfortable surfing heats over and over again."
OR Heat 7: France's Kauli Vaast vs Peru's Lucca Mesinas vs USA's Griffin Colapinto
After an opening exchange of throwaways by Kauli Vaast and Lucca Mesinas, a pulse of swell sent a three-wave set, with Vaast taking off under the lip on the first, pumping furiously towards the exit before getting cut down, only to pop up to Mesinas and Griffin Colapinto going back to back on dreamy inside ledge pits for a 6-point ride and an 8-point ride respectively, leaving the local chasing his tail with a 1.5.
Colapinto backed up his 8 with a 5.77 on a sneaky west bowl that slipped under Vaast and Mesinas. With just over 10 minutes left, Vaast started to scrap back with an easy chip-in 4.6, only to watch Colapinto pull into the ledge of the day so far, disappear behind the chandelier while wrangling the foamball, and get blown out for a 9.53.
Vaast picked off a clean, technical little barrel for a 4.6, followed by Mesinas' 5.1 on a dreamy, open runner to move into second.
Colapinto joins USA teammate John John Florence in the Round of 16, both carrying the momentum of excellent scoring heats, and the highest two totals of the opening round (John with a 17.33, Griff with a 17.03.
OR Heat 8: Indonesia's Rio Waida vs Japan's Reo Inaba vs Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti
Five minutes into the heat, Fioravanti kicked into a beautiful pit-not massive, nor deep, but technical, milking the inside ledge for a 4.17 opener. Japanese darkhorse Reo Inaba came out swinging right behind him, dropping a 7.33 for a tricky, warbly, thick pit, backing it up with a ruler-straight, dreamy inside ledge runner for a 5.43. Inaba now heads to the Round of 16.
Women's Opening Round:
Women's OR Heat 1: USA's Caroline Marks vs South Africa's Sarah Baum vs Portugal's Yolanda Hopkins
USA's defending World Champ Caroline Marks is on to the Round of 16. - ISA
If there were still any dinosaurs worried the women wouldn't show up claws out and ready at Teahupo'o there would not be any more doubt in the very first heat. Defending World Champ and 2023 Tahiti Pro Champ Caroline Marks, along with Sarah Baum, put on an absolute clinic, with Marks dropping the highest heat total of the entire day, a 17.93.
With a slight pulse in swell, Marks dropped a 9.43 and a 8.50 for two elevator air drops into thick, deep pits, getting blown out into the channel to an explosion of applause. Meanwhile, the South African, Baum, showed her technical abilities and style in critical waves, but couldn't quite find herself where she needed to be on the proper sets that came through during the heat.
WOR Heat 2: France's Vahine Fierro vs Spain's Janire Etxabarri Gonzalez vs. Peru's Sol Aguirre
The Queen Of Teahupo'o, Local Vahine Fierro locks in her Round of 16 spot with a big heat win on home turf. - ISA
One of the most hyped heats of the opening round, the world got a look at local girl Vahine Fierro, who took home the win in her backyard at the 2024 SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro.
All three ladies took swings on less than perfect waves in the opening ten minutes, but couldn't find clean exits. Around the halfway mark Fierro showed her local knowledge, sliding into a short if wide-open cavern, coming out with the spit easily for a 6.17.
While the Peruvian, Sol Aguirre and Spaniard, Janire Etxabarri Gonzalez, struggled with positioning on the best waves they took swing on, Fierro secured her spot in the Round of 16 for a quick barrel followed by two of the most beautiful turns of the day.
WOR Heat 3: Israel's Anat Lelior vs Australia's Tyler Wright vs Canada's Sanoa Dempfle-Olin
With a little wind on the face making for slightly tricky waves, this was the lowest scoring heat of the day. Tyler Wright was able to pick off enough meat from the bones to come out on top, while Tel Aviv's Anat Lelior and Canada's Sanoa Dempfle-Olin couldn't quite put it together.
Leilor sent it from too deep on her best wave, and Dempfle-Olin fell at the finish line as she came out of her best and longest tube of the day, losing her footing and instead of a victorious kickout, cartwheeled into the channel. Wright put the last nail in the coffin, stretching out her lead with her last wave in.
WOR Heat 4: USA's Caity Simmers vs Australia's Molly Picklum vs Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb
One of the day's most stacked heats featured the three most dominant countries' top ranked surfers all in the water including Caity Simmers, Molly Picklum, and Tatiana Weston-Webb. All three showed the world what they could do at proper Teahupo'o at this year's SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro and put on a showcase of sending it over the ledge in their battle.
The heat started slow, with Simmers and Picklum both having cracks at average looking waves but failing to capitalize. Weston-Webb dropped the first scoring wave, a clean and easy inside bowl for a 5.83, backing it up with a 4.5.
Simmers and Picklum both battled back, with Picklum dropping a 5.77, and Simmers building a small house comprising a 6.5 and 6.43 to take the heat and head to the Round of 16.
"I mean, you can kind of put it in your head, as this like huge, big thing," said Caity Simmers, after feeling the pressure of her first Olympic heat. "But I don't think it really helps anything to do that. So I've just been reminding myself that it's just another contest-even though it is such a big, important thing. But the more weight I put on it, that's never good for me. But it's always surreal, every day. I'm like, how did I get here? What did I do to deserve this? You know, that's what I literally think about every day. It's like a crazy, surreal feeling, just the fact that I get to, like, stay and surf with literally the people I looked up to and idolized when I was a kid, like John John and Carissa. It's pretty… no, it's really crazy."
WOR Heat 5: Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy vs France's Johanne Defay vs Nicaragua's Candelaria Resano
Brisa Hennessy looking comfortable as ever as she pulls into the barrel in Round 1 - ISA / Pablo Jimenez
Brisa Hennessy pretty much stole the show with her 8.33, showing just how comfortable she is on her backhand in hollow waves.
Throughout the heat, Johanne Defay couldn't seem to find an open, makeable pit. Meanwhile, Candelaria Resano struggled to get a completion. At almost the ten-minute mark, Resano knifed a technical drop, but outpaced the barrel, only getting behind the curtain for a moment which kept her score low at a 3.43. Her next send would quiet the critics, a solid drainer coming in at a clean, respectable 6.
While Defay's highest score came in at a 5, Hennessy closed the door on both her and Resano with a quick, running tube followed by a clean backhand hook, and a 7.23 bringing her heat total to a healthy 15.56.
WOR Heat 6: Brazil's Taina Hinckel vs Germany's Camilla Kemp and Brazil's Luana Silva
With conditions improving and the swell notching up, Luana Silva took the win-with a beautifully navigated backhand pit that had the judges post a 7.27 against fellow Brazilian teammate Taina Hinckel and Germany's Kamilla Kemp.
While Kemp had a hard time reading the shifty, rising swell, Hinckel sent a few that would have had her in the running to take out the heat, but couldn't quite hold on. Silva heads to the Round of 16, while Kemp and her teammate Hinckel face the elimination round gauntlet.
WOR Heat 7: Spain's Nada Erostarbe vs New Zealand's Saffi Vette vs China's Siqi Yang
The penultimate heat of the day proved to be one of the most entertaining of the day, with both excellent surfing as well as some, well, pretty brutal wipeouts from China's seemingly fearless Siqi Yang.
On wave after wave Yang threw caution to the wind on bombs, taking beatings that would have sent 99% of surfers watching packing their bags for home. On one of her later wave's replays, you could see Yang ejected from the back of the wave after going over the falls. Not a minute later she was sending it on an inside west bowl, pearling hard before being drilled towards the reef, with water safety ripping in to grab her and bring her to the channel. Yang paddling back into the lineup with a minute or so left in the heat, after the sheer quantity of violence she'd endured, was surely one of the most heroic moments of the day.
On the other hand, the pride of the Basque Country, Nadia Erostarbe looked like a veteran out there, smoothly sliding into forehand pits. Erostarbe's confidence was palpable throughout the heat, and carried her into the Round of 16. Her coach, former Billabong Pro Tahiti Trials winner Aritz Aranburu will be very proud of Erostarbe's performance today.
Defending Gold Medalist, Carissa Moore with the highest heat total for the women. - ISA
WOR Heat 8: USA's Carissa Moore vs. Japan's Shino Matsuda vs Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot
In the final heat of the day, Carissa Moore had no readjusting to a singlet after taking the majority of this year off tour. Both Moore and Japan's Shino Matsuda picked off a few of the most memorable waves of the day, with Carissa dropping an even 9 and a 7.5, besting Matsuda technically impeccable 8.33 which she couldn't quite back up. Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot put up a fight with matching 5.17's, but left plenty in the tank as far as what the stylish goofyfoot is capable of.
And with that, day one of surfing in the 2024 Olympic Games is done and dusted, proving that even in testy conditions, the best surfers competing at Teahupo'o is some of the best live viewing in sport.
Head here to see the matchups for the Elimination Round. Tomorrow, hearts might break. While conditions tomorrow are forecast to resemble something like what we saw all day today, with Tahiti's unpredictable nature, as always, we'll have to wake up and see.
Learn more about Teahupo'o here.
Head to the International Surfing Association (ISA) for more information on surfing in the Olympics.