Tahiti's youth surf culture gets a boost as island hosts the Paris Olympics

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (AP) — As the heavy, barrel-shaped waves of Teahupo’o, Tahiti — where the Paris Olympics surfing competition is being held — crashed in the distance, another, smaller surf session was underway just off the shore.

“Go, go, go!” one lanky teenager with sun-bleached hair yelled in French to another, sitting on their surfboards in the ocean. “Allez, allez!”

Seconds later, whoops and whistles of approval from other young surfers in the water and parents sitting on the beach filled the air, as 14-year-old French Polynesian surfer Kiara Goold cruised along a 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) wave, smiling.

It's a sight locals and visitors to Tahiti would not have been able to see until recently, 38-year-old French Polynesian professional surfer Michel Bourez said.

“Back in the day, there were no kids surfing,” said Bourez, who first hopped on a board as a teenager.

While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent among younger generations began to develop across Tahiti. With two French Polynesian surfers included in the 2024 Olympics, the surfing community expects local interest in the sport to grow.

Locals said Bourez has been a steward in the development of local surfing talent and culture in recent years. Partly driven by the lack of resources he had when starting out and then finding success in his own career, Bourez said he began training talented young local surfers he spotted across the island's shores.

“Otherwise, all the knowledge that I gained during all these years will be gone — and for no reason," Bourez said. "We have to give back to the local community and surfers.”

Goold is one of the young local surfers Bourez has mentored. Growing up in French Polynesia, Goold said she has spent time on the ocean since before she could remember, but only got serious about surfing around age 8.

“I challenge myself by doing things that maybe I don't want to do,” she said. That means hitting the gym and surfing when the waves are really big. "I just try to train really hard.”

Goold said she feels it's paid off: she's traveled internationally to compete and won youth tournaments at home in French Polynesia.

But most days, she can be found with other young surfers along the shores of Tahiti, catching waves and playfully competing against each other.

“We keep pushing each other,” Goold said with a laugh. “We just hang out, and it’s super fun.”

The inclusion of two French Polynesian surfers — Vahiné Fierro and Kauli Vaast — in the Paris Olympics also has been a major boost for the promotion and development of local surfing, Bourez said.

“They've become kids' idols here," he said.

Fierro and Vaast know they have inspired young local surfers.

“This is the best thing in the world, because I was them a couple years ago," Vaast said after winning his second round heat. "We try to do our best, to give the best energy, the best personality for them. We try to be the best example possible.”

Vahine, who was the first Tahitian wild card to claim a victory during the World Surf League at Teahupo’o, said the shift in surfing culture for French Polynesian women has been especially noticeable.

“I’ve really seen the change, whether it’s out here at home, or on the beach breaks. There’s almost as many girls as men, and it’s really cool to see," Fierro said.

While Goold plans to have years of surfing and competition ahead of her, she said she already knows what she will say to the next generation of French Polynesian surfers who might come asking her for advice.

“I’m going to say, ‘Follow you dreams — the only thing you can do for now is work really hard and stay positive. Have fun.’”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Tauirai Henriou Oopa, 10, surfs his home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Kelia Gallina, 11, surfs her home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Liam Sham Koua, 11, surfs his home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Liam Sham Koua, 11, surfs his home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Tauirai Henriou Oopa, 10, right, waits for a wave alongside Kiara Goold, 14, at their home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Kelia Gallina, 11, surfs her home shore break during a break in the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. While Teahupo'o has been a coveted destination for surfers from around the world for decades, it's only in more recent years that local surf culture and talent has begun to develop across Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

BEIRUT (AP) — Dozens of people were wounded in Beirut’s suburbs and other parts of Lebanon after their handheld pagers exploded Tuesday, Lebanese state media and security officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear if people were killed.

A senior military intelligence official and an official with a Lebanese group with knowledge of the situation, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation said that pagers carried by Hezbollah members were detonated. The second official said it was believed to be an Israeli attack.

The Associated Press reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment.

Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.

AP photographers at area hospitals said the emergency rooms were overloaded with patients, many of them with injuries to their limbs, some in serious condition.

The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs — all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence — had called on people to donate blood of all types.

The news agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported.”

A Hezbollah official said that at least 150 people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when the pagers they were carrying exploded. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the explosions were the result of “a security operation that targeted the devices.”

“The enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident,” the official said, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590 C (1,100 F).

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, and Josef Federman, in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.

Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)