Surfing
Surfing
Kauli Vaast: From Tahiti's local hero to Olympic surfing legend at 22
With surfing’s second outing at the Games taking place in Tahiti, French Polynesian charger Kauli Vaast's local knowledge paid off – in gold!
Tahiti’s Kauli Vaast was four-years-old when he first stood on a surfboard, in tandem with his father. “I don’t remember it,” Vaast says, “but I’ve seen the photo.” A surfing life seemed pre-determined for Vaast, given that Kauli is a Hawaiian name meaning "the one who goes in the ocean."
At six, Vaast piloted his own craft for the first time, before eventually tackling Tahiti's most celebrated wave, Teahupo’o, at the grand old age of eight. “I was scared because I knew it was a dangerous wave and I thought it was always big,” he laughs, “but the first time I surfed out there it was two-foot [0.61m] and perfect.”
Kauli Vaast deep in downtown Teahupo'o
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Eight was a big year for Vaast. As well as surfing Tahiti’s most notorious wave, it was also the age he first tasted competitive success. “There was a contest for all the local kids, and I won! From that day on I knew that I wanted to surf all the time. I started travelling to France after that. I was surfing in France, training in France, competing in France, and to this day I haven’t stopped!”
The Vaast family all surf. “My mum longboards, my dad shortboards, my brother Naiki is 16 now and starting to get bombs at Teahupo’o and surfing really good. He’s a great fisherman too, so good! My sister Aelan is 18-years-old, starting to go through the Qualifying Series and looking to get on the Challenger Series. And every time Teahupo’o breaks they come with me, and every time I push them to catch bigger and bigger waves!”
Raimana Van Bastolaer and Baptiste Gossein
© Ben Thouard
While Vaast matured competitively in France, his beloved home break of Teahupo’o was a constant presence as well. At 12 he towed into waves on a big day for the first time, with local legend Raimana Van Bastolaer. “Raimana is the man!” says Vaast. “He's taken care of me since I was young, he’s always been there. Helped me find sponsors, looked after me at Teahupo’o, he's basically been a second father. I owe him a lot. And then Baptiste Gossein has always been my tow partner, he’s the man out there, the best at reading the waves and putting you in the best place every time.”
Who else did Vaast look up to when finding his way at Teahupo’o? “Matahi Drollet, definitely. Kevin Bourez, Heirari Williams and all the local boys. Michel Bourez, obviously, he’s a Pipe Master and he’s from Tahiti. I grew up following him, we’ve surfed Teahupo’o so many times together, done contests together, the Challenger Series together, he’s like my big brother.”
Kauli Vaast and Michel Bourez – proud Tahitians, proud Olympians
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Outside of Tahiti, Vaast only ever had one hero. “Jeremy Flores. He won France, he won Tahiti, he’s a two-time Pipe Master, it doesn’t get any better than that. I first met him when I was super young, 11 or 12, and I would hang out with him whenever he was in Teahupo’o. Always annoying him, surfing with him, at Teahupo’o or anywhere else. My first time in Australia I stayed with him, which was so cool, and I’m so stoked he was there when I qualified for the Games last June. I’m just really grateful to have him in my life, he’s my other big brother!” Gabriel Medina was also an inspiration growing up. “He’s amazing, I always watch his heats. Gabriel, Michel and Jeremy, that’s my three guys, that’s it.”
Kauli Vaast and the light at the end of the tunnel, at The End Of The Road
© Damien Poullenot/World Surf League
In 2019, Vaast came up against Jeremy on the WSL Championship Tour for the only time, after winning the trials at the Tahiti Pro and earning a slot in the main draw in the process. Although Jeremy went on to claim the heat, en route to taking out the whole contest, Vaast put the world on notice with his incredible performances in the flawless, terrifying conditions to finish ninth.
“That was an amazing experience!” says Vaast. “The waves for the trials were super-hard but perfect. I won the trials and got the wildcard. In round one I had Italo Ferreira, then in round three I came up against current world number one, Kolohe Andino, and found the perfect wave at the end of the heat to get through. Then Jeremy and I surfed and it was big and super-west and I went into full charge mode. He got a 9.98 to start off with, but didn’t have a backup, whereas I had a 6 and a 7, so he had to chase a score. He got the score at the end to beat me, but it was still an amazing contest, and surfing against Jeremy was a dream. In my head I was like, okay, even if I lose, this is crazy.”
Kauli Vaast banking big points in his backyard
© Damien Poullenot/World Surf League
If 2019 wasn’t proof enough of his precocious talent, three years later Vaast ran rampant through the field at the Tahiti Pro once more, making the final, before again losing to the eventual champion, this time Miguel Pupo. Though his event started badly after he smashed the reef, hurt his back and tore his shorts in a brutal wipeout in the trials, this only served to sharpen Vaast’s focus. Dealing with persistent pain he could only think about the immediate task in front of him, and surfed one wave at a time, one heat at a time, all the way to finals day.
“I beat Kelly Slater in the semis,” he says. “It was the first time I ever surfed against him and it was a perfect, beautiful afternoon. That was amazing, that was great. In the final, I found the wave I was looking for at the start. It would have been a nine but I fell coming out. After that I completely lost my rhythm, Miguel found his, and that was that. It is what it is.”
Kauli Vaast greets a golden Tahiti morning
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Vaast began 2023 with two goals, to surf well enough on the Challenger Series to graduate to the Championship Tour, and to qualify for the Games. While he’s tracking solidly on the former – “I’ve had one good result, one okay” – in early June he shocked the world to pull off the latter and earn a place on the French team for the 2024 Games.
“It was amazing years ago when I heard that surfing was going to be in it,” says Vaast. “It’s the biggest thing you can achieve as an athlete, and it’s only every four years. Then when I heard that 2024 would be held at Teahupo’o? That was a dream! Straight away it became a big goal. I knew the qualification would be super-hard, but I did everything I could to make it happen.”
“Firstly, I had to qualify for the French team for the ISAs. After that when I was at that event in El Salvador I was told I had to be the last European remaining in the contest to earn my ticket. And I did it! I know it’s just the first step though.”
The final step, however, turned out to be a dream one for Vaast as he squared off against Australia's Jack Robinson in the Olympic final for a chance to write his name into history. A near-perfect 9.5 on his first wave proved to be decisive as the surf tailed off and Vaast emerged victorious. "I was a bit lucky as we only had a chance to surf three waves, then the ocean went flat," he explained. "We have a good relationship [with the universe]. We call it the 'mana', and in this contest I felt it the whole time,"
I’m just an island boy. I’m happy at home with my family; fishing all the time, surfing with my friends, and then going off to competitions. That’s my life
Between chasing titles and medals around the world, does all the time on the road get tiring? “Not at all, I’ve been doing it since I was nine-years-old! Managing big airports by myself with two boardbags, a suitcase, my backpack. Changed flights, changed gates, you name it. And then you meet new people, make friends all over the world and discover new places and new waves. Do I like travelling? No, I love it!”
An Olympic champion at just 22, with bravado beyond his years and a berth on the WSL Championship Tour seemingly a question of when, not if, what else does the world need to know about Kauli Vaast? “I’m just an island boy. I’m happy at home with my family; fishing all the time, surfing with my friends, and then going off to competitions. That’s my life.”
