Raiatea & Tahaa

comment by Anonymous, 2009-04-17 19:46:43

Raiatea
Give the Locals what they want, don't go there, don't spend your money there, don't help their economy. That's a great way for the locals to help protect "their" waves. I haven’t been there, and due to all these negative comments, I’ll stay away and just keep on revisiting Tahiti – great waves and locals! Then, their next generation of kids won't be able to surf "their" waves, not because of crowds or outsiders, but because they'll all be broke, and have to travel to other islands/places to find work, and when they do travel away, I hoped they get vibed and hassled by the locals at the place they end up...smart plan by the locals. Simply put, locals should hassle visiters ONLY if they show disrespect. They should reward the ones that show respect, spend their money, and tell of great times visiting there. Stupid localism will only hurt in the long run.

comment by castagnoli , 2008-10-30 15:21:02

Positive Vibes
I thought that was surfing is to be all about..
The locals are great people, they are just afraid that there piece of Paradise if advertise will no longer be there.
Tahitians, Raiateans, Hawaians etc are all Polynesians..All they ask for is respect for their grounds and some want no publicity for their surfing spots..I mean how ridiculous some of the places have turned into..I heard of a spot in Fidgi that locals can no longer go because of a stupid hotel that have taken over it for their clients..How ridiculous can that be..Think about it..if you were born in a place, surfed their your whole childhood, grew up to be a man and a good surfer.. and then, people tell you:"don't come here anymore, it's for the hotel guests"..and you know what's worst, these people are foreigners. How would you feel?
If some of my friends have behave in a rough way towards you, it's because they do not know how to express themselves in your language and they want to protect..
Check out Moana's comment, he puts his name therefore he is not afraid of his identity..
Anyhow, enough said and let us understand one another and keep cool..
Tama is my name and I am Polynesian, Tahitian as well..I have 2 boys that are learning how to surf and I think of their future. If you come to Tahaa or Raiatea, look me up: tiarebreeze.com

I am more into spearfishing than surfing but may be I can hook you up with someone that surfs on Raiatea..A+

comment by Blue patrol, 2007-06-13 08:57:40

Crazy locals
We got to this island, me and a couple friends. Locals showed up at a spot on the west side and asked us to pack up our camera (we were only taking a few pictures, even if the waves were not really worth the whole trip) and leave. As we did not want to cooperate, they just got crazy on us. And more of them came... As we were told later, seems like the place as been visited by a few dickheads before us, and didn't care with what the locals asked them and behaved like selfish dorks in the water. Seems like the locals are getting more and more pissed off when they see more than two surfers travelling together. Don't even think about boat trips ! Not the best trip at all !!!