TEAHUPO'O, Taiarapu-Ouest — With all eyes on the ocean during the final day of the Paris Olympics surfing competition in Tahiti on Monday afternoon, a surprise guest made an appearance: a whale.
A safe distance from athletes Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica— who were competing in a semifinal match— the whale breached and gave spectators and photographers the Olympic moment of a lifetime.
Watch the spectacular moment below:
It’s not uncommon for wild animals such as birds, seals and even sharks to appear while surfing around the world.
In Tahiti, where the 2024 Olympics surfing competition was held almost 10,000 miles way from the host city of Paris, whales gather around the islands during mating, birthing and migration season.
Where is Tahiti?
Tahiti is the largest island of the Îles du Vent (Windward Islands), which, together with the Îles Sous le Vent (Leeward Islands), make up French Polynesia.
The island is located in the central South Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between California and Australia and is in the same time zone as Hawaii.
Tahiti has an area of 403 square miles and is made up of two ancient eroded volcanic cones: Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti. The two are connected by the narrow Isthmus of Taravao.
The island accounts for almost one-third of the total land area of French Polynesia. Nearly two-thirds of the population of French Polynesia lives on Tahiti.
The Tahitian village of Teahupo’o is the site of the surfing competition in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Contributing: Victoria Milko. Material from the Associated Press appears in this report.