Whale Upstages Athletes During Olympic Surfing Competition

The Olympic surfing competition has been one of the most interesting parts of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. That's because instead of trying to catch barrels, bruh, on the English Channel or somewhere in the Mediterranean along the south of France, surfers are thousands of miles away from the City of Lights doing their thing in Tahiti, part of French Polynesia.

The event now holds the record for the Olympic event held furthest away from the host city, and it has provided some spectacular moments, but nothing will top watching a whale breach during the competition.

The giant marine mammal made an appearance on Monday during a surfing match between Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy.

That's incredible and terrifying at the same time. Fortunately, the whale was far away from the surfers when it jumped out of the water like that. I don't know if you're aware of this, but whales are heavy.

I know surfers are used to it, but I'd be so freaked out in the ocean shredding like that bruh. I mean, yeah, that whale was awe-inspiring, but that was the one large aquatic animal that decided to make an appearance above water.

A whale breaches as Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb (left) and Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy paddle out during the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti. (Photo by JEROME BROUILLET/AFP via Getty Images)

How many creatures — possibly even ones with large teeth are were swimming around just below the surface while these Olympians are just hangin' ten and going for gold in Tahiti?

Fortunately, there are plenty more comfortable in the ocean than me, and that made for a great show in French Polynesia.

Weston-Webb won the match during which the whale made an appearance, and she went on to take the silver medal overall.

The next Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, and there's no shortage of world-renowned surf spots closer to the epicenter of the games. That's obviously ideal, but holding an event on the other side of the globe was a really cool unique thing.

Now, hopefully, when Olympic surfing returns four years from now, we get another good show.

…and more whales. That was cool.