domenic's tahiti
DESCRIPTION
Teahupo'o TahitiTRANSCRIPT
no.
010 Dom
enic’stahiti
A look At teAhupo’o, tAhiti through the lens of Domenic mosqueirA
he’s mexicAn-cAnADiAn, he’s cAnADiAn-mexicAn. He likes to eat burritos and play in the snow. He uses the terms
“eh” and “amigo” in the same sentence.
I could see Cheech and Chong singing
a song about our good friend Domenic
Mosqueira. And he would probably laugh
and sing along, beaming with joy.
Some photographers make a decent
living through pure skill, others make
it because of their connections with
A-grade pros and some make it because
of their marketing abilities. But I
don’t think I have ever seen someone,
until Domenic, make it in the surf
world because they have a heart of
gold and are basically the nicest,
most genuine human on the face of the
earth. Egos are a funny thing. They
can bring you your successes and your
failures. And maybe that’s why humble
Domenic is still somewhat unnoticed.
The fear of marketing himself and,
as he has said, “not wanting to buy
anyone.”
But we noticed him, and wanted to
celebrate this underground talent.
So we asked Domenic, who lives in
Tahiti now, if he could compile some
photos for us. As it turns out he
shot the entire Billabong Tahiti Pro,
and offered not only his photos but
his words, too. You can look forward
to many more of both in the future.
—Peter Taras
o n D o m e n i c
EDIToRIAL
Editor-in-Chief | TAyLoR PAuL
Managing Editor | bEAu FLEMIsTER
Assistant Editor | bREnDAn buCKLEy
Photo Editor | PETER TARAs
Associate Photo Editor | jIMMy wILson
Art Director | ChATo AgAnzA
Associate Art Director | noA EMbERson
online Editor | jAson MILLER
ALL PhoTogRAPhy AnD woRDs by
DoMEnIC MosquEIRA
T A H I T I
o f f E r S a
l o T m o r e
T H A n
j u S T T H E
S u r f . . .
06
Even though it has endless possibilities for waves, it also
has a rich native culture, embedded with great history from
famous sailors to artists, Cook to Gauguin etc. The amazing
backdrop of volcanic peaks and the clear, blue-water lagoons
offer so much to explore. The fishing and music and dancing
here is not to be missed. It is truly a beautiful place. I
moved here to avoid the hustle and bustle of city life (I
grew up in Mexico City), which is also why I love Tahiti:
a simpler living. But I also moved here for Teahupo’o. The
wave, lighting and people that surf it make for the most
memorable images and that is what keeps me here — the desire
to create new images that last, so you don’t just turn the
page.
I love the feeling of being in the water and shooting
surf. It offers a constantly changing frame of looking at
things. It challenges you not to just be good at one thing...
Yes, I love shooting “water” but I also know I have to be
a photojournalist and an artist in order to complete the
story. just one image is enough to awe, but surfing cannot
be held in just one way of being seen. I love my work and
all the jitters of knowing a big swell is on its way, the
nerves as I swim in to shoot fish eye, the joy of capturing
a great moment and, in the end, the simple pleasure of being
in the water. —Domenic mosqueira
07
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nice perk during the comp: scaffs are put up for cameramen, so we get
to shoot from angles that you don’t get to see often. normally I walk out
onto the reef to get this view, but it’s much easier this way.
09
Landscape, eye candy and barrels galore, not a bad
place to sit and watch a comp.
floAting room only.
010
floAting room only.
011
John
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John Florence.
013
Watching John John in the barrel is humbling. He has the ability to read it so well and look so calm in serious tubes. not an easy task to duplicate his talent and style, both unique and unmatched if you ask me.
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Teahupo’o was offering some rights
during the billabong Pro — if you
dared. Josh Kerr, taking the dare
and the score.
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was surfing so well in his heats, making it
out of the best waves Teahupo’o had to offer
this day.
Jeremyflores
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Jeremy, showing his frustra-tion at the judging. From where i was sitting, i couldn’t agree more with him.
021
miguel Pupo: Drop in, stay deep and come out.022
That simple…for him. 023
024
cJ Hobgood, taking to the air. The surfers had to
pull every trick out of their bags to get through
inconsistent heats. but don’t let this fool you, this
was not a small section and it was over dry reef.
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The nice part of being in the water shooting, is that you can get up close and personal.
Damien Hobgood, stroking hard to get priority.
027
DAmien
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hobgooD
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Lay-days, Aussie-style. Footy on the front lawn was a regular sight.
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Came across one of sion Milosky’s old broken boards, a testament to
his charging on her out at Teahupo’o.
033
WAtching him surf this right
WAs AmAzing,
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Josh Kerr.
he gets so high over the lip and
goes for it, every single time.
Merci, josh.
WAtching him surf this right
WAs AmAzing,
035
mustofa Jeksen might be the first Indonesian to surf Teahupo’o. he
took to it all too well. After having visa hassles and having to put up with
restricted travel dates during the comp period, he managed to snag some
nuggets... This is one of them.
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Mustofa jeksen038
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seeing Dorian out here without a death-defying
forecast. but still great to see him in a barrel
and training for that next huge swell.
A surprise
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Dorian.
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ace Buchan on a late afternoon gem. I was
actually swimming in at the end of this free
surf session and the west bowl just offered
up this parting gift.
043
Did I hear right,
not an expected sight to see Kelly beaten by a wildcard.
ricArDo got the score?
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Gabriel medina was a wave catching machine
until he was stopped cold by john john.
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mick Fanning on one of his many victory-bound rides.
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mick.
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Parko and his typically smooth
turns…but not enough to make it
past Mick.
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mick Fanning
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tropicAl...
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