On Monday afternoon in Tahiti on the final day of surfing competition at the Paris Olympics, all eyes were on the ocean when a surprise guest appeared: a whale.
Keeping a safe distance from semi-finalists Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica, the whale jumped, giving spectators and photographers an Olympic moment they’ll never forget.
When surfing around the world, it’s not uncommon to encounter wildlife such as birds, seals, and even sharks.
The 2024 Olympic surfing events will be held in Tahiti, about 10,000 miles from the host city of Paris, but whales gather around the islands during mating, calving and migration season.
Tahiti also has several marine protected areas, and in April, leaders of indigenous Pacific nations, including Tahitians, signed a treaty recognizing whales as “legal entities,” though such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of the participating countries.
