Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL YOU KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING

TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: I'M DYLAN DRYER, JOIN ME ON AN ADVENTURE TO

THE ISLAND OF TAHITI FOR THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME.

THIS IS A TROPICAL PARADISE OF MAJESTIC

MOUNTAINS, ROLLING OCEANS AND ANCIENT CULTURE

LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC

OCEAN.

AND FOR A FEW BRAVE THRILL-SEEKERS TAHITI IS

ALSO THE HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE WAVES ON

EARTH.

ONLY THE VERY BEST SURFERS ARE UP TO THE CHALLENGE.

YOU DON'T RIDE THIS WALL OF WATER, YOU SURVIVE IT.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: TAHITI IS A LONG WAY FROM ANYWHERE.

LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN, THE NEAREST

CONTINENT IS AUSTRALIA, MORE THAN 3,700 MILES

AWAY.

IT WAS ONE OF THE LAST PLACES ON EARTH TO BE

SETTLED BY HUMANS OVER 3,000 YEARS AGO, AND I'D

LOVE TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW.

DYLAN: 118 ISLANDS MAKE UP THE ARCHIPELAGO KNOWN

AS FRENCH POLYNESIA.

THIS REMOTE PACIFIC OCEAN PARADISE IS HOME TO THE

ISLANDS OF BORA BORA, RANGIROA, MO'OREA AND THE

MOST FAMOUS OF ALL, TAHITI.

DYLAN: IT'S ALSO HOME TO PERHAPS THE MOST

DANGEROUS WAVE ON EARTH.

BREAKING JUST OFFSHORE FROM THE VILLAGE OF

TEAHUPO'O, SWELLS CAN REACH OVER 25 FEET HIGH

AND COME CRASHING DOWN WITH BONE CRUSHING FORCE

ONTO THE SHALLOW REEF BELOW.

THIS SHORELINE HAS CLAIMED MANY LIVES.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: THINK OF OCEAN WAVES AS ECHOES OF VAST

ENERGIES MOVING THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE SUN'S GRAVITY REACHES OUT ACROSS EMPTY SPACE

PULLING THE EARTH INTO ORBIT.

AND THE GRAVITY OF THE EARTH PULLS ON THE MOON IN

THE SAME WAY.

THIS GRAVITATIONAL TUG-OF-WAR, ALONG WITH

RADIANT HEAT FROM THE SUN, CHURNS AND STIRS THE

ATMOSPHERE AND OCEANS OF OUR WORLD IN A CHAOTIC

BALLET.

CURRENTS OF HOT AND COLD WEATHER COMBINED WITH

OCEAN SWELLS TO CREATE MASSIVE STORMS THAT

TRANSFER ENORMOUS POWER TO THE OCEAN.

TODAY PRO TAHITIAN SURFER RAIMANA VAN BASTOLAER IS

TAKING A FEW SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDING LEGENDARY

SURFER KELLY SLATER TO THE VILLAGE OF TEAHUPO'O.

RAIMANA: WHEN KELLY COMES TO TAHITI THE WHOLE

VILLAGE COMES OUT.

WE HAVE A BIG GROUP OF FRIENDS AND EVERYBODY IS

INVITED.

GOOD SURFERS OR BAD, NOBODY GETS LEFT OUT.

THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SURFING.

IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE SO MANY GREAT SURFERS COME

VISIT US; GUYS LIKE SHANO AND MY OLD FRIEND KELLY.

KELLY: I OFTEN COME HERE TO TUNE UP BETWEEN

COMPETITIONS AND I LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH RAIMANA.

WE CALL HIM THE MAYOR OF TEAHUPO'O.

HE TAKES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR

EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE WEATHER.

HIS GOAL IS TO MAKE EVERYONE ON EARTH HAPPY

ALL OF THE TIME.

KELLY: THE WAVES ARE PERFECT TODAY.

RAIMANA: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

CHECK IT OUT, IT'S THE WORST WIND WE'VE BEEN

HAVING HERE.

KELLY: WE NEED SOME SWELL.

WE NEED SOMETHING BIG.

RAIMANA: IT'S GONNA COME, YOU KNOW, BUT MAYBE...HOW

DO YOU SAY...THE SUN IS NOT...THE MOON, FULL MOON,

WE GOTTA WAIT FOR FULL MOON, YOU KNOW?

RIGHT NOW THIS MORNING ON THE WAY IT WAS SUPER LOW

TIDE AND....

SOMETIMES WHEN THE WAVES DON'T SHOW UP YOU HAVE TO

PRETEND YOU KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO AND JUST KEEP

EVERYONE BUSY.

♪ ADVENTUROUS MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: THE CALM WEATHER GIVES THE GROUP A CHANCE

TO PREPARE.

DYLAN: RAIMANA INSISTS HIS GUESTS ARE READY FOR THE

CHALLENGE BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY.

♪ MUSIC ♪

[PEOPLE LAUGHING AND PLAYING]

DYLAN: THE MASSIVE WAVES OF TEAHUPO'O HAVE BEEN

KNOWN TO TRAP SURFERS AGAINST THE OCEAN FLOOR.

ROCK RUNNING IS A TRIED AND TRUE TRAINING EXERCISE

FOR SURFERS.

TRAINING THIS WAY NOT ONLY GIVES SURFERS AN EXCELLENT

WORKOUT, IT HELPS THEM PREPARE FOR A POSSIBLE

BRUTAL STRUGGLE BACK TO THE SURFACE AS THE DEMONIC

WAVE CRASHES OVERHEAD.

KELLY: RAIMANA PRETENDS HE'S NOT THE LEAST BIT

COMPETITIVE, BUT HE WOULD RATHER DROWN THAN COME UP

FOR AIR BEFORE ME.

DYLAN: RAIMANA KNOWS THE BEST TEACHERS LEAD BY

EXAMPLE AND HE WANTS EVERYONE TO MAKE IT HOME

SAFELY.

COMING UP NEXT...

SMALL WAVES ARE BEST FOR SMALL SURFERS.

AND SMALL WAVES ARE ALSO PERFECT TO EXPLORE THE

REEF BELOW.

BUT THE WINDS ARE STARTING TO CHANGE AND THE BIG

WAVES ARE COMING.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES AFTER THIS.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT THE WAVES OF

TEAHUPO'O ARE SOME OF THE LARGEST AND DEADLIEST EVER

SURFED.

BUT ON OTHER DAYS THE WATER IS CLEAR, THE SUN IS

SHINING, A GENTLE BREEZE IS BLOWING AND THE OCEAN

IS AS GENTLE AS A KITTEN; PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR THE

LITTLEST SURFERS TO TRY A WAVE OR TWO.

DYLAN: GROWING UP IN TAHITI HAS ITS PERKS AND SO DOES

HAVING AN UNCLE LIKE RAIMANA.

DYLAN: KEEP YOUR EYE ON THIS LITTLE GUY.

WITH PRACTICE HE'LL BE A WORLD-CLASS SURFER ONE

DAY.

DYLAN: AFTER A LONG DAY OF SURFING TIME TO HEAD BACK

TO SHORE AND CELEBRATE THE LAND, OCEAN AND PEOPLE WHO

LIVE HERE.

[TAHITIAN DRUM MUSIC]

DYLAN: THIS TAHITIAN DANCE IS ONE OF THE MOST

RECOGNIZABLE DANCES IN THE WORLD.

OFTEN CONFUSED WITH THE HAWAIIAN HULA, THIS

HIP-SHAKING DANCE WAS TYPICALLY PERFORMED BY

MALE DANCERS.

TODAY BOTH MEN AND WOMEN DANCE AND THEY OFTEN USE

FIRE.

FIRE DANCING HOLDS SPECIAL MEANING FOR THE PEOPLE OF

TAHITI.

ALTHOUGH THEY LIVE SURROUNDED BY WATER, IT

WAS FIRE THAT CREATED THIS LAND.

DYLAN: THE ISLAND OF TAHITI AND THOSE NEARBY WERE BORN OUT

OF THE EARTH'S HOT CORE DEEP UNDER THE OCEAN

FLOOR.

DYLAN: UPWELLING OF A HOT MANTLE PLUME PROMOTED MELTING OF

ROCK UNDER THE OCEAN CRUST AND THE MIGRATION OF MAGMA

TOWARD THE SURFACE.

OVER SEVERAL MILLION YEARS THE PACIFIC PLATE DRIFTED

OVER THE HOTSPOT AND A CHAIN OF VOLCANOES WAS

FORMED.

DEPOSITING BLANKETS OF LAVA AND DEBRIS, THE

VOLCANOES ROSE MORE THAN 10,000 FEET FROM THE

SEABED TO THE OCEAN SURFACE AND BUILT GREAT

FIERY MOUNDS THAT WOULD ERODE INTO MOUNTAINOUS

ISLANDS.

ALL THAT NOW LIVE ON THESE ISLANDS ARRIVED FROM

ELSEWHERE; DRIFTING, SWIMMING OR FLYING ABOVE

THE OCEAN CURRENTS.

DYLAN: PLANTS, BIRDS, FISH AND INSECTS GRADUALLY TURNED

THE BLACK, STERILE, VOLCANIC ROCK INTO A

GARDEN OF EDEN.

EARLY EXPLORERS REPORTED SMELLING THE FLOWERS OF

TAHITI LONG BEFORE THEIR SAILING SHIPS APPEARED

OVER THE DISTANT HORIZON.

IMAGINE DISCOVERING TAHITI WITH YOUR NOSE.

TALK ABOUT A PARADISE.

CORAL REEFS EVENTUALLY FORMED AROUND THE VOLCANIC

ISLANDS.

HERE IN THE VAST WILDERNESS OF THE SOUTH

PACIFIC IS AN OASIS OF EXTRAORDINARY LIFE.

♪ MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE IN THIS PLACE IS TIED

TO THE CORALS.

THEY PROVIDE HABITAT AND NOURISHMENT TO BOTH THE

SMALLEST CREATURES TO THE GREATEST HUNTERS.

KELLY: I LOVE COMING TO TAHITI BECAUSE ITS REEFS

ARE STILL HEALTHY AND FILLED WITH LIFE.

BUT THE OCEAN IS BOTH WARMING AND ABSORBING CO2,

BECOMING ACIDIC.

SOONER OR LATER IF WE'RE NOT CAREFUL WE WILL

DESTROY THE REEF AND ALL THAT GOES WITH IT; THE

FISH, THE PEOPLE AND THE ISLANDS THEMSELVES.

I'VE SEEN REEFS DAMAGED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

DYLAN: YET HERE THE REEFS STILL SUSTAIN.

THEY INSPIRE THE PEOPLE OF TAHITI AND ENCHANT

VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO COME TO DIVE,

SNORKEL AND SURF.

RAIMANA: WHEN THE WIND IS NORTH, NORTHEAST AND THE

WAVES GET AT LEAST 3 FEET AND BUILDING, THEN IT'S

TIME TO GO SURFING AND EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.

DYLAN: THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF

SURFBOARDS THAT GIVE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF RIDES

DEPENDING ON THE SURFER AND THE OCEAN.

KELLY: RAIMANA LOVES THE PADDLEBOARD.

HE CAN STAND UP AND SEE THE WAVES COMING.

AND OF COURSE TAHITIANS ARE THE WORLD'S GREATEST

PADDLERS.

DYLAN: THE FIRST SURFBOARDS WERE WOOD, CUT

AND SHAPED BY HAND.

THEY WERE HEAVY AND DIFFICULT TO RIDE.

MODERN SURFBOARDS ARE LIGHT, SLEEK AND CAREFULLY

DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE MANEUVERABILITY AND SPEED

IN THE WATER.

♪ MUSIC ♪ - [WATER/SURF SOUNDS]

KELLY: THE THING THAT MAKES SURFING SO UNIQUE IS

THAT EVERY SINGLE WAVE IS DIFFERENT.

THE NEXT WAVE COULD BE THE WORST WAVE

OR IT COULD BE THE BEST RIDE OF YOUR LIFE.

DYLAN: COMING UP NEXT, THE WEATHER IS BEGINNING TO

TURN AND THE WAVES ARE BEGINNING TO GROW.

WE'LL TEST THE WATER FOR THE ULTIMATE RIDE WHEN

JOURNEY CONTINUES RIGHT AFTER THIS.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: THE OCEAN AROUND TAHITI IS BEGINNING TO

GROW RESTLESS.

WINDS ARE INCREASING AND THE WAVES ARE STARTING TO

BUILD.

RAIMANA, KELLY AND THE REST OF THE SURFERS ARE

EVEN CLOSER TO THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

DYLAN: THE GREAT WAVES ARE AT THE CENTER OF TAHITIAN

RELIGION AND CULTURE, BRINGING FORTH BOTH GOOD

FORTUNE, EXHILARATION AND SOMETIMES DISASTER.

OVER THE CENTURIES COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND SHIPS

HAVE BEEN DRIVEN TO THEIR DOOM ON THE SHALLOW REEFS

OF THESE VOLCANIC ISLANDS; VICTIMS OF THE STORMS AND

TYPHOONS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

IN THE WAKE OF THE STORM THE WAVES BECOMES

ORGANIZED INTO SETS.

THE SEA BOTTOM PLAYS THE MOST CRITICAL ROLE.

A GENTLE SLOPE PRODUCES GENTLY BREAKING WAVES.

A SUDDEN SHALLOW CAN PRODUCE A PLUNGING

BREAKER.

AT TEAHUPO'O A SUDDEN SHELF AND SHALLOW REEF

COMPRESS THE ARRIVING WAVE ENERGY, DRAMATICALLY

INCREASING WAVE HEIGHT.

AS THE WAVE SLOWS ITS CREST CONTINUES TO SWEEP

FORWARD, GENERATING A GREAT CATHEDRAL-LIKE

BARREL THAT BREAKS ACROSS THE REEF...

DYLAN: FOR MANY SURFERS IT'S THE ULTIMATE WAVE.

RAIMANA: OUR CULTURE IS ALL ABOUT THE SEA.

TERRIBLE STORMS AND TYPHOONS HAVE KILLED MANY

PEOPLE AND THEIR SPIRITS SEEMS TO BE WITH US ALL

THE TIME.

WE HAVE GREAT RESPECT AND FEAR OF THE POWER OF THE

OCEAN.

DYLAN: FOR A THOUSAND YEARS POLYNESIANS HAVE

STRUGGLED TO COMPREHEND AND EVEN INFLUENCE THE

MYSTERIOUS AND DEADLY FORCES OF THE OCEAN.

THE ANCIENT PEOPLE OF TAHITI BELIEVE THEIR

SUPREME GOD WAS HATCHED FROM A COSMIC EGG.

TO FILL THE EMPTINESS AROUND HIM HE USED PART OF

THE EGG TO MAKE THE SKY AND OTHER PARTS TO CREATE

THE LAND.

TAHITIANS BELIEVE THE GODS SENT BOTH BLESSINGS AND

CURSES.

THESE ISLANDS MAY SEEM LIKE A PARADISE BUT

SURVIVAL FOR THE EARLIEST PEOPLE WAS HARD.

RAIMANA: SOONER OR LATER ALL THE VILLAGES HAVE FELT

THE ANGER OF HUA'ATUA, THE EVIL GOD OF THE SEA.

DYLAN: SCHOLARS BELIEVE THAT HUMANS FIRST MIGRATED

TO THE ISLANDS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA ABOUT 2,000

YEARS AGO.

THEY CARRIED MANY MYTHOLOGICAL TRADITIONS

AND ADAPTED THOSE BITS AS THEY SPREAD TO NEW

ISLANDS.

RAIMANA: OUR PEOPLE MUST HAVE HAD EXTRAORDINARY

COURAGE.

LEGEND HAS IT AN ANCIENT WARRIOR NAMED PI THREW HIS

SPEAR INTO THE MOUNTAIN PEAK ON THE ISLAND OF

MO'OREA.

IT MUST BE TRUE BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE HOLE IN

THE ROCK TO THIS DAY.

DYLAN: SMALL WAVES COLLIDE, SOMETIMES

CANCELLING AND SOMETIMES REINFORCING EACH OTHER AS

THEY ORGANIZE INTO LARGER WAVES TO CARRY THE ENERGY

THEY HAVE ABSORBED.

THE ROUGHENED SEA SURFACE INCREASES DRAG AND

PROMOTES MORE INTERACTION WITH THE MOVING AIR

RESULTING IN LARGER WAVES.

BIGGER WAVES OFFER MORE SURFACE TO THE WIND,

GROWTH BECOMES EXPONENTIAL.

STORM WAVES TRANSFER VAST AMOUNTS OF ENERGY INTO THE

OCEAN.

WAVE ENERGY CAN REACH HUNDREDS OF FEET BELOW THE

SURFACE AND TRAVEL AROUND THE PLANET BEFORE

COLLIDING WITH LAND.

DYLAN: COMING UP NEXT, THE ULTIMATE WAVE FINALLY

ARRIVES AND THE GREATEST SURFERS ON EARTH DO THEIR

BEST JUST TO HOLD ON.

DON'T GO AWAY, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES RIGHT AFTER

THIS.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: WELCOME BACK TO JOURNEY.

WHEN THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF OCEAN SWELLS, WIND AND

WEATHER FINALLY REACH THE SHORE OF TEAHUPO'O THE

RESULT IS A SCULPTED BARREL OF LIQUID CHAOS.

THE GREAT WAVE HAS ARRIVED; BE CAREFUL WHAT

YOU WISH FOR.

KELLY: TEAHUPO'O IS UNUSUALLY SHALLOW SO YOU

SHOULD TRY TO AVOID FALLING ALTOGETHER.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF

MENTALLY TO GET DRAGGED OVER THE REEF.

IT'S THE MOST DANGEROUS WAVE WE SURF.

RAIMANA: IT'S MORE ABOUT SURVIVING THAN SURFING.

IF THE WIND IS COMING FROM THE WRONG DIRECTION IT CAN

MAKE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER VERY BUMPY.

WHEN IT'S TOO BIG TO PADDLE YOU HAVE TO TOW THE

SURFER OUT.

I ONLY TOW OUT THE VERY BEST BECAUSE ANYONE ELSE

IS GOING TO GET HURT FOR SURE.

♪ ADVENTUROUS MUSIC ♪

KELLY: CATCHING A WAVE AT TEAHUPO'O IS A

COMBINATION OF THAT TOTAL UPHORIA AND THE ULTIMATE FEAR.

YOU'RE NEVER AS REAL AS WHEN YOU MIGHT DIE.

[CLAPPING]

DYLAN: FOR KELLY AND RAIMANA SURFING IS

EVERYTHING.

THE ONLY TIME THEY'RE OUT OF THE WATER IS TO RECOVER

FROM BEING IN THE WATER.

RAIMANA: SO THEN I HAD TO...I DIDN'T GO TO THE

DOCTOR.

I WAS WALKING BY MYSELF ON THE BLACK SAND THAT I HAVE

BY MY HOUSE, SWIMMING BY MYSELF, AND EVERY DAY

AFTER THAT DAY...

KELLY: HOW LONG?

HOW LONG WERE YOU OUT OF THE WATER?

RAIMANA: IT WAS LIKE MAYBE EASY LIKE TWO...TWO WEEKS

EASY OUT OF THE WATER.

KELLY: TWO WEEKS?

RAIMANA: YEAH.

KELLY: THAT'S LIKE A SCRAPE, THAT'S NOTHING.

THAT'S LIKE STITCHES, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

RAIMANA: NO, ALL I KNOW IS...

KELLY: COME ON MAN, YOU SURF FOR LIKE 40 FEET.

THE MOST YOU HAD WAS TWO WEEKS OUT OF THE WATER?

RAIMANA: YEAH.

KELLY: YEAH, YOU'RE LUCKY.

I TORE MY KNEE.

I TORE SOME TENDONS IN MY KNEE AND IN MY ANKLE.

THAT WAS LIKE TWO MONTHS OR SOMETHING OUT OF THE

WATER...TWO AND A HALF MONTHS MAYBE.

DYLAN: ALL THE GREAT SURFERS HAVE MADE THE LONG

PILGRIMAGE TO THE DISTANT SHORES OF TAHITI, BUT ONLY

A FEW ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURF THE WAVE OF TEAHUPO'O

WHEN CONDITIONS ARE JUST RIGHT.

AND FEWER STILL ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO CONFRONT THE

DEMON WAVE AND WALK AWAY.

AT ITS PEAK THE GREAT WAVE WILL THROW 20 TONS OF

WATER DOWN ON THE HEAD OF A BRAVE SURFER.

WITH A SHALLOW REEF BELOW AND A WALL OF WATER ABOVE,

ONLY THE VERY BEST HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR JOURNEY TO PARADISE.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, SAFE TRAVELS.

♪ MUSIC ♪

♪ MUSIC ♪