Nearly 16,000 kilometres (9,950 miles) from the French capital, the French Pacific island of Tahiti was chosen to host the surfing events.
This week's event, which finally got underway on Thursday, is officially a World Surf League event but it is really a chance to whet the appetite at one of the world's top surfing venues.
"It's one of the best surfs in the world," the American John John Florence told AFP.
"The way the reef is, it's as deep as you can imagine and you've got the open ocean swell. Читать дальше...