Photo of Olympic surfer's gravity-defying celebration goes viral

WASHINGTON — Photographers at the 2024 Summer Olympics have managed to capture a number of jaw-dropping shots at one of the fiercest competitions in the world. 

AP photojournalist Gregory Bull, one of the photographers assigned to capture moments from the surfing competition, has had to adapt to the unique challenges of photographing an incredibly wet sport using expensive camera equipment. 

"Covering surfing here is like no place on earth," Bull said. 

Unlike other Olympic photographers who can stand on the sidelines or in specially designed press areas that give the best view, Bull and other Olympic surfing photographers must venture out from shore to capture the surfers up close. 

"The wave breaks really far out, past the reef," Bull explained in a video shared by the Associated Press. "So we're whisked out on jet skis and we work off of an open boat that sits on the shoulder of the wave, looking right into the barrel not very far away from it" 

Bull said the trick is to bring waterproof gear and leave the shoes behind — the boat is liable to tip over, and the photographers can be too absorbed in getting the perfect shot to notice. 

In fact, surf conditions were so rough during Monday's round 3 matches that the quarterfinals for the event, originally scheduled for Tuesday, have been postponed. 

"It's really kind of crazy but there's no place I'd rather be but here," Bull said. 

At times water safety patrol staff on jet skis pulled surfers from the water after their rides, towing them to calmer waters before jetting them back out to the wave. On the beach, some surfboards lay in pieces, broken in half by the waves. 

As for the kinds of photos Bull and other photographers are taking? They're nothing short of spectacular. 

After the ride he launched himself into the air, raising his right arm and pointing towards the sky in a gravity-defying moment.

In the photo, Medina appears to almost be floating in the air, feet above the water, with his finger raised high to indicate No. 1 while his surfboard flies up behind him. 

Where is the Olympic surfing competition?

While other athletes are competing in and around Paris, the Olympic surfers are 10,000 miles away in Tahiti. The waves off the coast of the village of Teahupo’o are world-class, known for being tall and perfectly shaped for riding. 

Even the surfers' sleeping arrangements are unique. For the 2024 Olympics, the surfers are sleeping on a cruise ship parked off the coast of the island, in a mini athlete's village. 

About 45 minutes from the surfing venue, the Aranui 5 ship is able to accommodate about 230 passengers in over 100 cabins, with eight guest decks, a spa and gym, according to its website. It's anchored just off shore and the surfers, coaches and others take small boats to get back and forth.

“They have a wonderful location for the village, which is on a ship,” French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told The Associated Press. “It’s unusual, but they seem to like it.”