We’re so excited for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to begin today! We followed the Olympic torch relay as it travelled around the globe and made its way back to Paris for the opening ceremony today. As the host location for the Olympic surfing events, the French Overseas Territory of The Islands of Tahiti received the torch on 12th and 13th June as part of the ‘Relay Across the Oceans’ leg of the journey.
Read on to learn more about the Tahiti Olympics activities taking place and the exciting 2024 Olympics surfing competition!
The 2024 Olympics Surfing Competition held in Tahiti
From 27th July 2024, the surf competition will take place at the world famous Teahupo’o wave, a feared and revered wave with immense power located on the south-west coast of Tahiti. The annual Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o surfing event organised by the World Surf League has taken place in these dramatic waters every August for many years, so the destination is no stranger to world-class competitive surfing. With just a few weeks to go, the anticipation is building and surfers from Tahiti and around the world are waxing their boards in preparation for the event.
Fun Fact: The surf competition at Teahupo’o will be the furthest event location from the host city in the history of the Olympics! A mere 9,500 miles apart!
Whale Season in Tahiti
The Olympics surf competition occurs as the humpback whale watching season begins in The Islands of Tahiti. From July to November each year, these mighty gentle giants glide through the warm Polynesian waters to give birth to their young and rest before continuing their epic journey. The islands of Tahiti, Moorea and Tetiaroa (home to the Godfather of private islands; The Brando) offer the best chance to see and even swim with these ocean dwellers, and our expert team at Turquoise can help you plan these memorable encounters as part of your French Polynesia adventure.
Exploring The Islands of Tahiti
The main island of Tahiti is the gateway to this iconic island nation, with Papeete home to the international airport. Beyond the vibrant markets and tropical capital city living, the island is filled with lush green hills, waterfalls, black sand beaches and, of course, one of the world’s surfing hotspots at Teahupo’o! On the horizon, the heart-shaped island of Moorea beckons, with undulating green ridges hugging palm-fringed beaches, and the sweetest pineapple waiting to be tasted, all just a scenic 30-minute catamaran journey from Tahiti.
A visit to Tahiti wouldn’t be complete without visiting the legendary island of Bora Bora. French Polynesia’s leading lady, the very name conjures images of a tropical South Seas paradise. Bora Bora’s towering volcanic peak, Mount Otemanu, is the lush green crown jewel rising majestically from the mesmerising lagoon where tiny islets (known as motus) are home to Bora Bora’s luxury resorts, famed for idyllic overwater bungalows. Less than an hour’s flight north-west of Tahiti, time spent in Bora Bora is guaranteed to leave you jaw-droppingly spellbound!
With 118 islands in Tahiti, there’s so much more to explore beyond Bora Bora, and mixing a few islands on your holiday gives you a fuller flavour of this Polynesian paradise. Lush mountainous landscapes and impossibly blue lagoons dominate the scenery of the Society Islands (home to Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti), while the Robinson Crusoe Tuamotu Islands are a collection of kaleidoscopic coral atolls, including one of the largest in the world – Rangiroa. For an untamed taste of Tahiti, the remote and mystical Marquesas Islands feature black sand beaches, dramatic waterfalls cascading into the ocean, and a culture and language of their own.
If you’re visiting Tahiti during the 2024 Paris Olympics surfing competition, you’re sure to find plenty to do! Our Tahiti itineraries offer endless holiday inspiration whether you’re visiting now or in the future.
