i figured id start up this little thread to get a few different point of views.i was reading this article last night on theinertia.com about the bodyboarder who stuffed dave wasselhoff in tahiti.i heard wassels story,then i heard the local.il post the article later since i cant find it on this computer. so basically u have teahupoo,which is a zoo.then u have great world class waves in the background that pros usually dont flock to.first off im a surfer,and im going against a surfer and agreeing with the local spongers.according to the local,pro tow teams like wassel showed up at their local break.the spongers are paddling these monsters.after waiting over an hour and being stuffed by wassel,the sponger sed fuk it im going.the wipeout nearly killed both of them.what disturbs me the most is what happens next.a ski driver pulls up to the kid who just lost his sponge,talks some shyt like was that u who dropped in on my man?instead of pulling the local to safety the ski takes off.now as most of us know,reef breaks are mostly remote and u need a boat or popeye arms to paddle out.so this local ends up having to swim in through the reefs to the beachbreaks to get washed up on the rocks with no floatation.the kid said he didnt think he was going to make it,but the longer he prolonged it,hell never make it out the ocean. the poor locals of tahiti wait for swells too.and they dont hit up chopes,they like to keep to theirselves.when rich pro surfers,who can fly anywhere they want,decide hey lets go crash the party over at this uncrowded waves,and start burning the locals.i think of it like put urself in their shoes.if youv been waiting all week for that swell to arrive,u show up with your local boys,and theres 300 outsiders out with skis,running people over,only rescuing their friends,how would u feel.to be honest id be out there with a knife cutting leashes like kenny powers.i remember during hurricane leslie last yr,there was a comp in obx,and the locals were complaining how dangerous it was from the crowds.everyone was getting injured. last,id like to say i think dave wassel is a retarded kook who should stick to lifeguarding.his jokes are stupid,he makes no sense,and he occasionally scores a great wave.just because your a good surfer dont make u a good person.how would the hawaiians feel if all the tahitian locals show up for the swell of the year at pipe and say hey were going on every wave,dont care whos on it,were droppin in on them,and id say thats fair due to what they do in tahiti.im happy nj doesnt have world class reef breaks where these aszholes have to show up and ruin it for the locals.they have the money to go surf somewhere else,we dont. so how would u folks solve a problem like this if it happened at your local spot?would there be a need for a new da hui who regulates the breaks,or simply beat up and trash the pros and their rides when they show up.remember u are an outsider,its not america.some of those tahitian kids look like terrorists lol.im sure they dont have the same laws as we do,and disrespectful pros can end up missing.most of the pros are good,but theres a few bad apples out there.what would be the best way to combat this mission?
Here's the story... http://es.magicseaweed.com/news/rumbles-in-tahiti-the-locals-stand-up/5622/ biggest d****bag is the guy on ski who left the kid...
I saw this yesterday... guess this happened recently. This was my response... "WTF!!! Nothing makes me more mad then tourists taking advantage of locals and their hospitality! They are not required to let us surf their home breaks. We are GUESTS, idiots! Not only are we guests but we are seriously invading their land and water at an ever increasing rate! If I were Tahitian I would close the doors on these mass of weekend warriors and charge a select few to surf my waves every once and awhile. We crowd their waters, stealing their waves by enforcing OUR rules at their home. We over populate their land, leave our trash behind, take their women (ok a little far, but you get the point), kind of like modern day pirates. What's most saddening is that these people are constantly inviting us back with open arms and out of everywhere I have ever surfed they are the most friendliest especially in the line-up. Many times have had a local paddle up and just start talking as if we were long lost friends. Hey Wassel come try that at my home break...." Here's another link to the story and also video.... http://www.theinertia.com/surf/tensions-rise-in-tahiti/
I agree with locals here for sure, you almost cant watch a surf video without one of the pros in burning a local at some point, they really need to give more respect to the locals at the spots they surf
Saw both of the videos of Wassell and the response by the Tahitians. I don't know if it was intentional, but what was the purpose of interviewing Wassell sharpening a filet knife?
Yes, it makes me mad when foreign pros come to Virginia Beach and try to take all of our thigh high, mushy waves.
Wassel gets to live the dream and he shreds harder than I ever could, but, he is a total toolbag. I love the end of the locals video... "why you sharpen yo knife? we not scared of you bro"... "you not going to come here any more, that's it"
yup, seen this same exact scenario every winter in the Islands. pros visit and it's almost impossible to catch a wave. tahitians need to police their break. have a set rule as in no tow-ins when it's less than 15 feet. and yeah, wassel is a d!ck. faatura! http://www.webodyboard.com/french-polynesia/faatura-johns-side-of-the-story/
Here's a question. If you play basketball at your local YMCA ever day / week for years, is it OK for a group of NBA pros show up on occasion and take over the court basically making the local guys who play there all the time not welcome to the court until they leave? Would this behavior be tolerated in other arenas? I know surfing and B Ball are not the same, but it's all about turf and who has more "right" to it right?
The local made a ridiculous decision to drop in on a wave that could kill someone. I can't stand dropping in, even on two footers. However I completely understand this guy John's frustration, and I'm behind the locals on this. For whatever reason this Dave guy's video really annoyed me. There are so many things wrong with it. First off, the fact that a Hawaiian lifeguard would leave a tired paddler out at sea in surf that big with no board makes me doubt the fact he's a decent human being. I can't hate on a guy for not being the brightest, but holy shi*. Let's just say good thing he's able to make a living surfing. Sharpening a knife during the entire interview? Probably the most transparent and douchiest attempt I've ever seen to appear tough. The kid's half his age and size and he still needs a machete to illustrate how tough he is? Then threaten the locals saying you'll be back in six weeks? Even the sign at the spot says no towing under 12 feet. I don't even care that he's boogieboarding because at least he's still paddling. Dave points out that he's been doing it forever, again hints at how awesome he is, and intelligently notes that apparently only a double overhead bomb can give him "a full body erection" (implying he's cooler than all the lowly, pathetic local guys who don't have sponsors and planes to fly them there and have to wait all year frothing over waves like that). I don't know, Wasselhoff looked like a neck-less ape until he opened his mouth, and he still managed to blow me away with the verbal diarrhea that followed. how can you not get behind the locals on this? Guys like him are going to force the tahitians to localize and lose that awesome , true aloha attitude that's so rare anywhere else in the world.
This happened in May, I'm pretty sure. Was going to post something here but didn't wanna start some surf/bb bull$hit. Wassel's such a douche, the knife, the "oh i thought he wanted to share the wave", such passive aggressive bs. Can you blame the Sap locals for not wanting their wave to turn into the zoo that Chopes is? Also, say what you want about Duval's drop in, that took balls of steel. He clearly knew he was going over the falls and said eff it, talk about taking one for the team.
Karma's a *****.... and when you're doing extreme sports like surfing you need all you can get! Wassel will pay for that, may not be today or tomorrow but it'll catch him! Would be a perfect scenario if he were drowning and the only guy around was a tahitian body boarder named John! Course John is the type of person that would extend a hand no matter what! John, you are the real "Pape Tane"!