Surfing Venue for Paris Olympics Is on the Other Side of the World but Could Steal the Show

The giant waves form in the storm belts of the Southern Ocean, off Antarctica, where whales roam. Supercharged by intense winds, the swells then roll on an ocean journey of thousands of kilometers to crash into Tahiti in the South Pacific. There, in the waters of the volcanic island that will host next year's Olympic surfing events, surfer Kauli Vaast waits. If the Tahitian-born 21-year-old catches one of the waves just right, he'll harness its awesome power as it rears up to become a furious, frothing wall of water.