no. 010
Dom enic’s tahiti
A look at Teahupo’o, Tahiti through the lens of Domenic Mosqueira
On
Domenic
He’s Mexican-Canadian, he’s CanadianMexican. 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
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 ahiti o f f e r s l o t
a
m o r e
tha j u st
n
the
s u r f . . .
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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
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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.
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Floating room only.
Landscape, eye candy and barrels galore, not a bad place to sit and watch a comp.
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John
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John Florence.
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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, t aking the dare and the score.
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Jeremy Flores was surfing so well in his heats, making it out of the best waves Teahupo’o had to offer this day.
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Jeremy, showing his frustration at the judging.
From
where I was sitting, I couldn’t agree more with him.
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Miguel Pupo: Drop in, stay deep and come out.
That simple‌for him.
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CJ Hobgood, t aking to the air. The surfers had to pull ever y 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 dr y 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.
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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 test ament to his charging on her out at Teahupo’o.
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Watc surf th was
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Josh Kerr.
ching him his right amazing, he gets so high over the lip and goes for it, ever y single time. Merci, Josh.
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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 Jeksen
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A surprise
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.
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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.
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Did I hear right,
Ricardo got the score?
Not an expected sight to see Kelly beaten by a wildcard.
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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 victor y-bound rides.
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Mick.
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Parko and his typically smooth turns‌But not enough to make it past Mick.
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Mick Fanning
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TROPICAL...
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