"The closest I've come to ending my surfing journey."
The Tahitian Mahati Drollet, as you know, is a semi-regular on BeachGrit’s pages.
A few years back at the Kelly Slater sponsored the Tahiti Pro and with one wildcard on offer and in six-to-eight-foot waves wiped smooth by light northerly winds, Matahi and pal Eimeo Czermak put on a show unseen at the waves since Kelly Slater and John John Florence’s epic semi in 2014.
With less than ten minutes gone, Drollet, 25, a man who won the XXL award for biggest wave ridden in 2015 when he was only 16, slouched into a 9.50 followed by a ten.
During Filipe Toledo’s brief flirtation with learning to ride Teahupoo beyond three feet, it was Matahi who was employed to coax the Brazilian into a set. It ain’t controversial to admit it was a rare failure for Matahi.
Earlier today, the world nearly lost Matahi , who is twenty eight, after he was towed into one of those unfathomable Teahupoo bombs, wrangling everything thrown at him inside the tube only to come within centimetres of colliding with a tourist boat in the channel.
“Probably the closest I’ve been to end my surfing journey,” Matahi writes. “Had to choose between the boat or the lip… survival mode made me grab the rail and do a cutback in the explosion to avoid hitting the boat.”
Comments reflected the awesome life-and-death moment, with more than a few biggish names pointing out the absurdity of spectator boats being that close to surfers.
“New rule in surfing – if you hit/ touch a boat or ski ownership is instantly transfered and non refundable,” writes Chris White, the surf photo whose gal and kid were saved by Kelly Slater some years back.
More,
“All the boats every year getting closer to killing somebody but ehhhh it’s up to the waverider if he going deal or not.”
“Why are these boats allowed to be in that close that’s insane to me.”
“Some terrible boat driving and great surfing.”
Kelly Slater, naturally, was in there and, per usual, made an excellent point.
“Something gotta be done about the driving of the boats. It’s gonna end badly sooner of later. Nice manouvring.”
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Haha, they were trolling. Trolling performs well.
How much you reckon they tipped the boatman at the end of the excursion?
And how many ‘We got so much spit on our faces! Still dripping!’ taglines on facebook posts that evening
Sick clip though…
Meanwhile court side seats at Madison Square Garden are what $20k for the Finals? Step on the court during a play and Josh Hart will gladly run you the fuck over, and MSG will ban you for life. Seems the locals need to start banning certain boat captains at Chopes.
to be fair, it is a once in a generation event – knicks will go right back to sucking next year and for decades to come
Heh, I saw Stephen A this am on a knicks rant. Last minute of FT … gotta love a die hard.
if i was hammered and had to say maneuvering it would come out as “manouvring”
fuuuuucking hell.
And the award for most predictable moment in surfing goes to……
Almost as easy to imagine as some fuckwit on the Goldie killing a surfer with a jet ski whilst doing step offs.
I guess we can only learn the hard way.
Is it Matahi or Mahiti? Or a fluid name situ? Sweet with that. No judgement here. Good on they/them.
Give me overhead beach break closeouts instead
Some cunts are just fucked
I am glad they get all this footage, so we can say FUCK THAT
A decent wave in a a beach break , or a fatty stingy point
Fuck
It all sounds super dangerous!!
Did you attend your local traditional Arse annual end of season Sook and Cry Baby?
So happy to see the looks of dumbfounded shock and tears after the game.
Made me feel like a tragic wrong had been righted.
And a pox on those cursed epl refs for gifting The Arse the league title.
Not one fucken penalty and not one red card – all fucken season. Fuck off.
Double ** on the title right there.
Cheers, matey.
I only watch the condensed replay and only if they win.
Arsenal League champs!! See ya next year!!
That team should’ve been in an Octagon – not on a football pitch.
Yea – next year, bexy. Cheers
They should make the goals 1 foot bigger all over
That bjj specialist, Gabriel needs all the help he can get. And he got plenty! Did I mention the shit refs, yet? Filthy fuckers hahahahahar
Even man city’s last game the fucken ref blew the whistle with 30secs or a minute to go to make sure the Arse got home. Just fucken crooked. No wonder Pep has said, “Fuck this! I’m out!”
Typical lefty conspiracrap
The rest of the world knows the truth.
No red cards, no pens all season.
Never in the history of the league has that happened before. ** Double whammy.
At least 50 refs in on it?
I’ve been watching football a long time but I’ve only ever seen one ref on a pitch during a game.
Next you’ll be dosing yourself up with ye olde ivermectin and bashing yer little anti global warming drum.
Same ref every game?
Youre pro global warming?
Get a grip asstro
I’m pro reality, bexy.
You know that.
Apart from when I decide to stir some shit.
it’s all good – til it ain’t.
That was too close. He would’ve got hammered across the reef I bet.
But way to go, Matahi. What a wave! Big coconuts !