Surfers enjoy 1st-ever floating Olympic village, staying in suites at sea in French Polynesia
Surfing made its Olympics debut at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, but this year, the sport is already making waves with a first-of-its-kind floating Olympic Village, where the surfers will sleep at sea and wake up with pristine ocean views in French Polynesia for the 2024 Paris Games.
Social media has been overflowing lately with athlete POV videos showing off everything from team gear clothing hauls from Nike, Ralph Lauren and Skims to room tours testing out the infamous recyclable cardboard beds at the Paris-based Olympic Village. But when it comes to the accommodations for the oceanic-based sporting event in French Polynesia, it appears some of those athletes have already struck gold before they ride the iconic Tahitian waves at Teahupo'o.
One such video from first-time German Olympian Tim Elter that showed off his suite on the Aranui 5, the dual-purpose passenger and freighter ship that is housing the surf competitors, has amassed nearly 2 million views on TikTok.
"We got asked a lot about the cardboard beds in the floating village in Tahiti," Elter says in the video, while panning across the panoramic view from his balcony overlooking the striking blue water and lush green island before walking into the bedroom. "We don't have cardboard beds. We actually have real, aluminum bed frames that are solid and stable -- so yeah, we've got it better than the guys in Paris."
The Aranui 5 reflects Polynesian heritage throughout its interior and features 103 spacious cabins, eight guest decks, an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a gym, a restaurant and lounges, according to Aranui Cruises. The custom-built vessel is anchored less than 45 minutes from the big wave competition site at Teahupo'o, where surfing will get underway on Saturday, July 27.
Team New Zealand's Saffi Vette, 22, shared another video of the ship on TikTok, with Michael Jackson blasting aboard as she and the team of Kiwis arrived to the floating Olympic village by dinghy.
"POV: German team welcomes you into the Olympic villa...ge," she wrote in text overlaid in the video.
In a follow-up selfie video taken on her balcony that has so far garnered 7.4 million views and counting, Vette and her fellow Olympians are seen laughing and dancing to Gotye's hit, "Somebody That I Used to Know."
"Vibes are high here on our floating Olympic Village," she wrote in the caption with a laughing face and heart hands emoji.
New Zealand teammate Billy Stairmand, meanwhile, shared a walk-through of the ship boasting a traditional Polynesian welcome and beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.
Teams USA, Brazil and Australia have all opted not to stay on the ship, instead putting their surfers in homes on Tahiti closer to the end of the road.
