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Last Updated On: May 03, 2025 11:24 AM , Published On: Oct 09, 2024 11:40 AM
France isn't exactly famous for its breakers, so when the IOC decided to hold the 2024 games in Paris, it had to figure out what to do with the 48 surfers looking for first place. Paris is a vacation of a lifetime. A high standard to meet. Even more so if your summer workplace was a Tahitian Olympic wave.
Due to Tahiti's six-hour time difference from Eastern Standard Time, the Olympic surfing competition takes place well into the late summer evenings and afternoons in North America, much after the daily schedule of competitions has concluded.
Olympics Surfers Vacation
Even if their experience from Paris 2024 is unmatched, Olympic surfers are stepping up to the plate and producing stunning off-season days. These Olympians are making the most of every day with activities like pickleball matches in the rainforest, skydiving, and planned wedding dances.
Let’s take a closer look at the surfers' exploits since the 2024 Olympic Games and combine their efforts to create the perfect Christmas wish list.
Ticket to Paradise
During the competition season, surfers travel the world while carrying surfboards and other equipment in their backpacks. Additionally, a vacation doesn't stop many people from doing what they love most.
Gabriel Medina left for Bali, Indonesia, alongside fellow World Surf League athletes Cole Houshmand and Frederico Morais after his bronze medal win at Paris 2024. The Brazilian surfer rescheduled the dates of his return trip since he found his time on the island so pleasurable.
Surfing for Fun
Other surfers also found South Asia to be an attractive destination; Billy Stairmand from New Zealand and Carissa Moore from the USA were both loving their stay in the Maldives.
Another popular location was Nicaragua. El Salvador's Bryan Perez and Brazil's Filipe Toledo stayed a few days, taking advantage of the sun, surfing, and meeting in the area.
Joao Chianca of Brazil and Matthew McGillivray of South Africa chose a weird surf spot, respectively. Before its formal inauguration in late October, both tested out Surf Abu Dhabi, the largest wave pool in the world.
Oceans to Mountains
But not every surfer in Paris 2024 is fascinated with exotic locales and warm waters.
Spain's Nadia Erostarbe cooled herself by jumping into alpine lakes during her family vacation to Switzerland, while France's Joan Duru embarked on a camping adventure into the woods, staying in a camper van with surfboards in tow.
The two-time Olympian from Indonesia posted on Instagram, “I came here to hike, which is one of my favourite things to do, to take in the beauty of this place, to observe the natural world, to be somewhere alone, and to hear the sounds of the outdoors. And breathe in the lovely, fresh air and let go of everything negative”.