Tahiti Sweeties
Iaorana! Recently went on a week trip to Tahiti with some friends and got to experience the amazing people, culture, and natural wonder that she had to offer. During our week stay we visited Papaete, Teahupo'o, Mo'orea, and Huahine. Mahalo to Tehani and her family for the hospitality during our stay there. If you have any questions regarding stay, transportation, or locations please feel free to contact me. Images shot with Canon 5d miv, 50mm 1.2L, 24-70 2.8L II, Dji Phantom 4.
Teahupo'o from the water was a magical place. My heart hadn't raced that fast in a long time. The water was crystal clear and the difference between the reef on the break versus the channel was about 20ft to 60ft and you could see all the way down.
Mat from Tahiti Boat Excursion & Surf took all 10 of our group out to the break. Mat and the other boat drivers were dodging not only each other, but also incoming waves while getting us as close to the break as possible.
Ugh... 40 minutes at the break was way too short for me. I played it safe by sticking to the channel but wanted to get way closer to the action. I was shooting with a 50mm 1.2 so everything came out pretty wide.
There were about 10 surfers in the lineup that day. Surfline called it the "Locals only swell." Jeremy Flores was out as well as a bunch of other local guys. I also got to sit in the channel with Ben Thouard, a legend when it comes to taking photos at Teahupo'o, and it was just us taking pics for the time that I was in the water. (IG @Benthouard)
This it the dock at Teahupo'o. It was so calm on the inside but you could look out to the outer reefs and see these huge plumes of water shooting up into the air.
The weather was pretty overcast with spots of rain showers but it was still so beautiful. It's true when they say Tahiti is like Hawaii 50 years ago. I just hope it doesn't follow the same path Hawaii did.
We. Were. Stoked. Jumped in with a Tokina 10-16 before switching to the 50mm 1.2 and snagged this selfie with these two.
During our stay at Papaete we splurged and got two Bungalows for our group. Even though it was a little "'touristy" I have to say, it was quite the experience. To be able to just open the door and jump in the water was awesome.
We got treated to some nice colors for our only night in the Bungalows.
The next morning I flew the drone around and got to take some pictures from the sky before we had to pack up and catch our flight to Mo'orea.
Mo'orea was beautiful but also very rainy and windy. Our first two days on island was night and day compared to when we were at Teahupo'o and Papaete. These pictures were taken on our third day when the weather shaped up.
To be able to see these guys was such an experience and also involved a lot luck. We didn't book a tour to swim with them and it was all coincidence. Brodie saw what looked like a tour boat across the channel and decided to just go for it and swim out so some of us followed. The channel was ripping with current and there were jet skis and boats zooming by but we made it out to the spot and got to play around with the sting rays of Mo'orea.
The view from camp wasn't too shabby, especially when the sun was out.
What made the experience on Mo'orea special for me were these guys, the blacktip reef sharks. I've seen a couple sharks in my life but only from a distance, this was a whole new thing. I wanna say they were about 4-6ft and they would just look at you as they swam by. Blacktip sharks aren't very aggressive but still, they're sharks! Such elegant creatures though.
After Mo'orea we headed out to Huahine, another island north west of Mo'orea, where our friend Tehani's parents and family live on. Staying with them was really special because we got to experience firsthand how they live, what they eat, and got to share some meaningful moments with the family.
One of the days on Huahine the weather shaped up a little and we got to go to this beach where these horses were just cruising and walking around. They got to watch us ride the jet skis, do a little wake boarding, and relax in the hammocks. Safe to say, they were jealous.
The Crew and Fam. Mauruuru Tahiti! Definitely coming back!
