Surfers at the Paris Olympics are Staying 10,000 Miles Away on a Cruise Ship in Tahiti
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By Scott Way.
We’ll bet you didn’t know that the surfing portion of the Paris Summer Olympics is taking place nearly 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) away in Tahiti.
Neither did we.
While the world’s attention is currently focused on Paris, surfers and water enthusiasts are having an entirely different experience on the beautiful tropical island of Tahiti. Due to France’s poor surfing conditions (the coast is lovely but doesn’t make for great surf), the Olympics opted to use the French Polynesian island of Tahiti to host both the male and female surfing competitions.
As if that idyllic scenery wasn’t sweet enough, competitors will also be foregoing all the scourges of typical Olympic village life. Headlines in recent days have shown athletes having to sleep on cardboard beds in cramped conditions in Paris, but in Tahiti the surfers are staying aboard the Aranui 5 cruise ship.
The ship is moored just offshore from the tropical island, roughly about 45 minutes from the legendary surf zone that has attracted hardcore water junkies for decades.
The Aranui 5 has room for about 230 passengers in 100 cabins across 8 decks. Some other perks include a spa and a gym, not to mention the stellar experience of waking up with an oceanfront view of lovely Tahiti rather than the cramped dorm rooms of Paris. When it’s time to compete, surfers and their coaches simply hop aboard the pre-stationed RIBS and hitch a ride either to shore or directly to the surf zone. The ride to the docks is only five minutes.
“They have a wonderful location for the village, which is on a ship,” French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told The Associated Press. “It’s unusual, but they seem to like it.”
read more at boatblurb.com.
