Paris 2024 Olympics: Tahiti native Kauli Vaast delivers on childhood pledge to do "a lot of stuff" on Teahupo'o
Kauli Vaast did not want to surf Teahupo’o the first time he saw it.
Eight years old at the time, the Tahiti native was overcome with a combination of fear and anxiety as he looked from shore at the barrelling mammoth, which roughly translates from Tahitian as the “wall of skulls” and is considered one of the most challenging waves in the world.
As time went on, however, it became his dream to win on his home wave, and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games might just be that opportunity.
“When I was a kid, I knew I want to do a lot of stuff on this wave. It was a dream for me,” Vaast told Olympics.com. “I always dreamed about doing a contest here, winning a contest there. It's still in my mind, a dream. And I'm going to work for it.”
A childhood at “The End of the Road”
For most surfers, Teahupo’o is "The End of the Road", the "wall of skulls", a mix of danger and the exotic. For Vaast, it is a wave that sweeps him back into cherished childhood memories.
Born and raised in Tahiti, Vaast started surfing at the age of four on the north side of the island. With sandy beaches and tameable waves, it was the ideal spot to learn how to surf.
The bigger challenge came when Vaast moved to Teahupo’o – a wave that draws in the best surfers of the world.
Every year, when competitions like the annual Tahiti Pro of the WSL Championship Tour come to the wave, the island shores are abuzz with excitement. While Vaast was anxious to be among the spectators, his parents had other priorities.
“Teahupo'o, it's a meeting wave, so everybody knows about it. Everybody wants to surf it and everybody's super happy to go watch it also because it's such a beautiful place and such a beautiful wave to watch,” Vaast said.
“I was every time trying to go watch at this spot, but I had school and my mom and my dad, our teachers, they were like, ‘No, no, no, you have school, so you go**’**. So I was like, ‘One day I'm going to go. I want to do this contest’.”
In 2019, Vaast lived up to his childhood promise, making a wildcard appearance at Tahiti Pro where he advanced to the round of 16.
He returned in the same status in 2022 and enjoyed an even better run, finishing as the runner-up and beating fellow Paris 2024 surfer Ethan Ewing and surfing legend Kelly Slater along the way. In 2023, he was fifth.
While Vaast conquered the fear he had felt when surfing Teahupo’o for the first time, the 22-year-old admits to still feeling intimidated every time he goes out. The difference is that fear is now mixed with excitement.
“When I'm out there, I'm always scared because it's a scary wave all the time, especially when it's big, but it's the best wave in the world also,” Vaast said. “I'm super happy to be out there because you can feel a lot of good energy, especially what we call in Tahiti the 'Mana', so it's really special.”
Over the years, Teahupo’o has become Vaast’s “favourite wave”. The surfer says a combination of physical and mental strength are needed to navigate its powerful force and shallow reef. But, above all, respect.
“Always respect this wave. That's the only thing,” Vaast said. “Teahupo'o is a hard wave even for me. I've been surfing this since I'm a kid and I still have a lot of stuff to learn because it's a tricky wave, dangerous wave and just beautiful. There is always something to learn."
The Olympic Games in the backyard
Tahitian locals know well the respect that Teahupo’o commands and they are happy to share their inside knowledge with island guests.
When new people come to town, if their surfing level permits it, the locals will invite them to try surfing Teahupo’o. Vaast follows this tradition as well.
“This is how we are in Tahiti,” he said. “We always love to welcome everyone and it's part of the kindness of the people in Tahiti. Everybody is part of the family also, so this is how we are.”
The latest guests that the islanders are welcoming stand out in particular – Olympians, decked out in national colours and with rings emblazoned on their surfboards and competition bibs.
Vaast, who secured a quota for Paris 2024 as the top European male surfer at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games, will be among that line-up and the unique opportunity to compete at a home Olympic Games is something that the young athlete is savouring.
The Tahitian surfer first started dreaming of the Olympics when he watched Usain Bolt race to his eighth Olympic gold on the Rio 2016 track. That Olympic fever was multiplied when surfing was included in the programme and his “big brothers” Michel Bourez and Jeremy Flores stepped forward as part of the first Olympic surfing class.
Having the Olympic Games come to his backyard made the dream even more tantalising.
“It's something special to be at Teahupo'o because this is where I grew up surfing and this is where I learned how to surf big waves,” Vaast said. “To be able to surf during the Olympic Games at home, at this spot, it's a crazy opportunity of a lifetime and I'm super happy to be in it.”
For Vaast, the Paris 2024 Games are not only a chance to compete on his favourite wave in front of family and friends, but also to showcase the beauty of his home.
“People can see the beauty of the islands, the beauty of the people, the beauty of French Polynesia, the surf spot, the kindness of the people,” he said. “We have a lot of beautiful islands. We have the beautiful water lagoon that you can swim (in). We have mountains to climb. We have so much stuff and we have many surf spots with crazy waves, such beautiful people. We're lucky.”
Kauli Vaast and Vahine Fierro met during a surf competition in Tahiti when they were children and have been friends ever since.
Kauli Vaast and Vahine Fierro: Childhood friends, Paris 2024 Olympians and food connoisseurs
Having surfed at Tahiti Pro three times, Vaast has already experienced how special it is to compete in front of the warm, home crowds in French Polynesia.
“I'm lucky to have a lot of people behind me and trust and believe in me,” Vaast said. “I have my family. I have a lot of friends. I have everyone in France, in other countries, especially the community in Tahiti, all the family and friends. I'm lucky to have them to push me.”
Vaast is one of two locals who will compete at Paris 2024. The other is this year's Tahiti Pro winner Vahine Fierro.
The two met during a surfing competition in Tahiti when they were around 12 years old and have since became close friends, surfing and even cooking together.
The traditional Tahitian dish, poisson cru (marinated raw fish), is Fierro’s specialty. Vaast’s talent is slightly different.
“I'm just good at eating,” he said with a laugh.
Exchanging jokes and surfing tips, the two Tahitians have travelled the world together and, when training back home, have encouraged each other to go outside their comfort zones. Teahupo’o was the perfect setting for this quest.
“We both push each other because she loves big waves and when it's big, she's trying to go, she's trying to get the bigger ones,” Vaast said of his long-time friend. “I'm like, ‘OK, it's good, try’, and then we push each other. Sometimes when there's a bigger one, she doesn't want to. She's like, ‘OK, Kauli, go’. And so, it's a good thing to have her, competing together, and also to be at home, to push each other.”
The ultimate milestone in their friendship came when both surfers secured Olympic quotas via the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games.
Their childhood wave will now serve as the stage for their Olympic debut.
“We grew up surfing together, doing the same competitions, travelling a lot. And now we qualify together. It's such a crazy moment,” Vaast said. “I'm happy to be with her to represent Tahiti during the Olympics.”