Condé Nast Traveler

Women Who Travel Podcast: Inside Tahiti’s Olympic Surf Scene

The tradition right here, you are anticipated to exit and introduce your self to everybody within the lineup. Swim as much as them, shake their hand and be like, “Hello, I am Megan. What’s your identify?” Meet everybody. And you then begin browsing.

In California, it is such as you exit, you side-eye individuals. It’s extremely nasty. Individuals are slicing in entrance of one another for the waves. The city I grew up in actually had an issue with a gang of father surfers not letting individuals surf their waves.

LA: Oh, my God.

MS: I do know, I do know. So right here it is sort of like if you happen to respect individuals the way in which that it is anticipated and the way in which individuals respect one another, nice, you are a part of it. However if you happen to come out and you do not say hello to anybody, you most likely don’t get any waves, which I feel is truthful.

LA: Now if browsing is not your factor and you’ll solely watch surfers for thus lengthy, there’s rather more to do in Tahiti and French Polynesia. Extra on that developing after the break.

To expertise Tahiti means, in fact, making an attempt the island’s meals. Megan could be very keen on uncooked fish and a well-liked Tahitian dish is simply that. Poisson Cru cooked in coconut milk.

MS: I’ve eaten Poisson Cru or sashimi, that are on each menu, I imply for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am positively in my factor. And I feel what’s cool right here is after I ask individuals for restaurant suggestions earlier than or after I’ve learn articles, there’s quite a lot of go wherever. The place I am like, “Nicely no, however inform me the great place.”

However then I’ve realized why individuals say that. As a result of any random aspect of the highway restaurant I’m going to and I get the Poisson Cru or I get anything, it is all equally good. I promise you, each single place aspect of the highway I’ve pulled over, the place you see that they’ve Tahitian meals, it has been good in my expertise and everybody right here tells me the identical. So I’d say simply be open to making an attempt little spots.

LA: There are seashores on Tahiti which might be ripe for scuba diving, browsing, paddleboarding, kiteboarding, snorkeling, whale watching, deep sea fishing, and crusing.

MS: I feel being in such a wonderful place for such a brief period of time, I’ve made a rule for myself, which is each morning I’ve to leap within the ocean. So even when I’ve a packed day, it is like I received to get on the market and benefit from this. Even when it is one dunk, after which I bathe and I begin my busy days, which have been very busy.

I like doing a ship tour across the south aspect of the island. So that you go and see these loopy waterfalls, you wade by means of lagoons. There’s all these formations within the cliffs assembly the ocean the place you possibly can see the place a very long time in the past, historic Polynesians used to wail. Or the place ladies would go to present delivery on this rock construction that is proper beside the ocean.