Within the CT event list, the Tahiti event is one of my favorites, but it's especially so when the sea is heavy.

Just like the first two days.

A clear line is drawn between those who enjoy playing with their health and those who wouldn't dream of it. And, this is very important, between those who are not only willing to take the plunge but who actually manage to navigate a sea of ​​terrifying proportions.

These are days when there are series with totals of 19,67, 19, 18, 17 and others with one point (like Filipe and Sally's) or 0,77, like Matthew McGillivray's (this guy is mentally ill, he didn't find any waves but made the lowest total of the event).

And the game is quite macabre because a wide open wave, without a barrel, isn't going to give you a 4 even if you do an aerial, it's going to give you a 1,5.

The business is to go for the disgusting one, and if it's not disgusting, it's the one that's "kind of disgusting"... It will never be a perfect blue wall that invites you to go.

I remember Ramzi Boukhiam on the toughest day of the Olympics talking about Teahupoo, and him saying how difficult it is to get deep on the wave. And I also remember all the experts explaining that to get a high score at Teahupoo you have to go for a wave that basically feels like a closeout; those are the magic ones because when they bite the reef they end up creating space to exit.

But, rather than criticizing those who didn't go for it (I feel really sorry for Filipe, who can't find that rebellious spirit and get it out of his system), this note is to praise the beasts who look down the precipice and go for it anyway: Kelly, Kauli, Alan, Jack, Griffin… And who make that difference.

Unfortunately, not all events are like this, but we definitely need more events like this.

They're not just more entertaining. They showcase a very important aspect of surfing: the courage required in challenging waves.

It's all well and good to be an acrobat or a surfing fundamentalist on point breaks, but the world champion has to have that raw DNA, that desire to take charge, to test himself on the heaviest waves in the world.

In the seventies, eighties and nineties, the retaliation for not being part of this gang was enormous.

You had to be part of this band to be respected.

That's how the bronzed Aussies came in with their attitude, and the Hawaiians almost ate them alive. But they ended up earning the respect of the heavyweights of the Hawaiian lineup.

That's why Peruvians are loved in Hawaii…

And so on.

A key part of surfing that must exist year after year on all circuits. Mandatory to fairly define a world champion.

Surfing needs beach break surfing, point break surfing, and heavy wave surfing to determine its champion. This year, thank God, it's getting all of that.