SURFERMAG.COM CURRENT ISSUE VOL. 44 #7

They've seen what's happened at Ta'apuna, and there seems to be a wary eye on the future of Teahupoo. The result is what Poto called the "Tahitian tax," a euphemism for unfriendly line-ups. Tahitians who work on surf charters will tell tales of nasty clashes between outer islanders and their charter customers. Like Steinbeck's Kino, and the men who came for his "pearl of the world," for locals an approaching boatload of pros and photographers raises the "Song of the Enemy." It is a conflict certain to come to a crisis. French Polynesia has very few exports, and the fantasy wave is almost certain to become a major one. Yet, for now, Tahitians who have traveled throughout French Polynesia offer simple advise. When I'd planned a trip to Huahine, a man covered with traditional tattoos advised me, "Surf in the morning, drink beers in the afternoon when the guys are out. No problems."

My purpose in coming to Tahiti was to capture the mindset of the "average" Tahitian surfer. But I found a mindset in flux, groups of surfers falling on both sides of an event--the discovery of the world's "heaviest wave," that was making inroads into the larger culture. Some surf when they can, and when they can't, they don't think about surfing.

To Poto, surfing is always at the forefront. Before Teahupoo was revealed to the world, he paddled into big waves alone on a regular basis. There weren't many skis around then and big-wave surfing wasn't in vogue. His buddies didn't seem to be interested in the challenge and Poto couldn't convince them to come along. Now, he said, the ideals of the big-wave charger have taken hold, and he surfs alone less frequently. I asked if he meant big waves at Teahupoo. He looked at me gravely and said, "There are other big-wave spots than Teahupoo. You do know that, right?"

Steinbeck's young fisherman, Kino and his wife Juana ended up throwing the "pearl of the world" back into the sea from where it came. Juana knew life as it was before the pearl's arrival "was gone, and there was no retrieving it. And knowing this, she abandoned the past instantly."

Steinbeck wrote that the villagers all took their own meaning from the retelling of Kino's parable, understanding there would be another "pearl of the world" out there. And who knows, there's a good chance some locals are paddling out to it right now.

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