The Ultimate Wave: Tahiti

There are 118 islands in French Polynesia.

There's Bora-Bora, Rangiroa, Moorea,

and of course, the most famous of all, Tahiti.

The great surfers have all made this long trek across Tahiti.

Most often they are hosted by the legendary

Tahitian surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer.

My guest is Kelly Slater, a nine-time world champion.

Most people regard him as being the greatest surfer ever.

On the far side of the island of Tahiti, near the village of Teahupo'o,

there is perhaps the most dangerous wave on Earth.

Surfers call it "the demonic wave."

Hey.

Hello. Hey.

I try to get the surfers here at just the right time

when the waves are expected to get big and gnarly.

It is Raimana that advises his guests

when to come to Tahiti and surf the famous wave at Teahupo'o.

It's a wave that's hard to predict

because there are so many complex factors.

Wind, tides and distant storms.

It will come when it's good and ready.

Ocean waves are echoes of the ebb and flow of vast energies

moving through the solar system.

Gravity's invisible hand reaches out across empty space

to shape the oscillating dance of the planets and their fluids.

The spin of the Earth and its tug of war with the moon and sun

help shape the planet's currents and tides.

But it is the sun's radiant gaze

that imparts the greatest energy.

Light's uneven heating induces the atmosphere and oceans

to perform a chaotic ballet.

Currents of hot and cold chase an impossible equilibrium.

A zone of low pressure can draw in air

from thousands of miles around,

generating winds of enormous power.

When Kelly comes to Tahiti, the whole village comes out.

We have a big group of friends and everybody is invited.

Good surfers or bad, nobody gets left out.

That's what I love about surfing.

It's an honor to have so many great surfers come visit us,

guys like Shano and my old friend Kelly.

I often come here to tune up between competition,

and I like to hang out with Raimana.

We call him the mayor of Teahupo'o.

He takes personal responsibility

for everything, including the weather.

His goal is to make everyone on Earth happy all of the time.

The waves are perfect today.

Are you kidding me?

Check that, it's the worst wind we're having here.

We need some swell.

We need something big.

It's going to come, you know, but, I don't know, maybe...

How do you say? The sun... No, the moon, full moon,

we got to wait for full moon, too. You know?

Right now, this morning, on the way back...

Sometimes when the waves don't show up,

you have to pretend you know more than you do,

and just keep everyone busy.

We better get some big waves, you know?

Come on!

Whoo!

The big Tahitian waves can pin surfers down until they drown.

Raimana insists his guests are well prepared both physically and mentally.

Raimana pretends he is not the least bit competitive,

but he would rather drown than come up for air before me.

Perhaps a demonic wave is by definition unpredictable.

on rare occasions, the surf at Teahupo'o can be as gentle as a kitten.

When the waves are still small,

all the little ones in the village

know it's their turn to go surfing.

And it's time for me to get some lessons

from Fa'arua, my neighbor's kid.

Raimana would probably tell you

that surfing is not something that can be taught.

Well, there may not be teaching going on around Raimana,

but there's clearly a lot of learning.

Raimana has the surfing talent to be a champion,

or at least when he was young and skinny,

but he wouldn't compromise his family,

not for a moment, not for a second.

Oh.

It's beautiful, huh? Yeah.

But Raimana can get pretty restless waiting on the waves.

In Tahitian culture, there are dozens of gods

that influence the waves and the weather.

We rely on his expertise.

The island of Tahiti and those nearby were born out of the deep.

Upwelling of a hot mantle plume from Earth's interior

promoted melting of rock under the oceanic crust

and the migration of magma toward the surface.

Over several million years, as the Pacific plate drifted over the hot spot,

a chain of volcanoes was formed.

Depositing blankets of lava and debris,

the volcanoes rose more than 10,000 feet

from the seabed to the ocean surface,

and built great fiery mounds that would erode into mountainous islands.

All that now live on these islands arrived from elsewhere,

drifting, swimming or flying above the ocean currents.

Plants, birds, fish, insects and humans

gradually turned the black, sterile volcanic rock into a Garden of Eden.

Early explorers reported smelling the flowers of Tahiti

long before their sailing ships appeared over the distant horizon.

Our people came to the islands from across the Pacific

1,000 years ago in small canoes.

They must have had extraordinary courage.

Legend has it an ancient warrior named Pai

threw his spear into the mountain peak on the island of Moorea.

It must be true, because you can see

the hole in the rock to this day.

Coral reefs eventually formed around the volcanic islands,

growing thicker and sinking deeper, creating formidable barriers,

but at the same time,

protecting island beaches from the relentless pounding of the sea.

Deep-sea currents push cold, nutrient-rich water up the flank of the island.

Pounding waves and surge help pump dissolved gases and nutrients

through the coral gardens,

creating a density and diversity of life otherwise impossible

in the warm, nutrient-poor waters of the South Pacific.

I love coming to Tahiti

because its reefs are still healthy and filled with life.

But the ocean is both warming and absorbing CO2, becoming acidic.

Sooner or later, if we aren't careful,

we will destroy the reef and all that goes with it.

The fish, the people and the islands themselves.

I've seen reefs damaged all over the world.

This world of light, energy and life

is made possible only as a result

of the volcanoes that formed these islands.

Without them, these islands would be 10,000 feet deeper,

near freezing, and locked in perpetual darkness.

Here in the vast wilderness of the South Pacific

is an oasis of extraordinary life,

a world of vibrant beauty that has already vanished from much of the planet.

Yet here the reefs still sustain

and inspire the people of Tahiti,

and enchant visitors from around the world

who come to dive, snorkel and surf.

The diversity of life in this place is tied to the corals.

They provide habitat and nourishment