The beauty of Tahiti in French Polynesia and its spectacular waves for surfing are well known. This is why it was chosen, not without controversy and protests, as the venue for the Paris 2024 surfing events.

However, the paradise of Teahupo'o, the surfing venue for Paris 2024, is as dangerous as it is beautiful. A spectacular but dangerous wave knocked 19-year-old photographer Byron McLoughlin unconscious and required the rescue of another photographer and a bodyboarder.

The pre-Olympic trials will take place from 20-26 July, just before the Olympic surfing competition on the famous Teahupo'o wave. The qualified athletes will have the wave exclusively for training.

A week earlier, tragedy was averted thanks to the heroic rescue of Byron McLoughlin, who was found floating unconscious in the Pacific Ocean to the shock of everyone present.

The heroes were photographer Ryan Craig and bodyboarder Angelo Fararie, who acted swiftly to save the life of the 19-year-old Australian who was taking photos in Tahiti, and of course Paris 2024, which could have suffered its first major setback in what is already shaping up to be a more challenging Olympic Games than expected.

Two and a half metre waves had caught the inflatable and helmeted bodyboard and suddenly, without knowing exactly why, McLoughlin appeared floating face down, unconscious, with purple lips and foam at the mouth.

McLoughlin was immediately rushed to a local hospital in Papeete where he was placed in a medically induced coma to stabilise his condition.

Two days later, McLoughlin has come out of the coma and is now out of danger. From his hospital bed, he took to social media to express his gratitude: "I don't remember much, but I'm very grateful for everyone around me who was there and acted quickly."

In the aftermath of the incident, which could have ended the Sydney-born young man's life, the Australian warned of Teahupo'o's dangers: "I owe my life to the real heroes who kept me alive... Teahupo'o is no joke, it is undoubtedly the heaviest wave on the planet. Safety is paramount and you have to stay on the boats if you can."

The Olympic Surfing Trials will take place from 27 July to 5 August 2024 and will last four days. Mother Nature will decide when the world's best surfers will be in action, depending on swell and weather conditions.

The Olympic surfing format will give each surfer the opportunity to surf twice. The winners of Round 1 will go through to Round 3 and the second and third placed surfers will go through to an elimination Round 2.

From Round 3, the heats will be one-on-one, with the winners advancing and the runners-up being eliminated until the quarter-finals, semi-finals, bronze and gold medal heats.

The ranking in Round 1 will be based primarily on the individual surfer's result at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games.

Rounds 2 and 3 will be seeded based on the surfers' results in the previous round combined with their original ranking.

From the Quarter Finals onwards, there will be no reseeding and the surfers will progress to the next round within their group. In the semi-finals, the second placed surfer will advance to the bronze medal heat and the first placed surfer will advance to the gold medal heat.

Qualified Athletes:

Female:
Anat Lelior (ISR); Brisa Hennessy (CRC); Camilla Kemp (GER); Candelaria Resano (NCG); Caitlin Simmers (USA); Carissa Moore (USA); Caroline Marks (USA); Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri (ESP); Johanne Defay (FRA); Luana Silva (BRA); Molly Picklum (AUS); Nadia Erostarbe (ESP); Saffi Vette (NZL); Sanoa Olin (CAN); Sarah Baum (RSA); Shino Matsuda (JPN); Siqi Yang (CHN); Sol Aguirre (PER); Taina Hinckel (BRA); Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA); Teresa Bonvalot (POR); Tyler Wright (AUS); Vahine Fierro (FRA); Yolanda Sequeira (POR).

Men:
Alan Cleland Jr (MEX); Alonso Correa (PER); Andy Criere (ESP); Billy Stairmand (NZL); Bryan Perez (ESA); Connor O'Leary (JPN); Ethan Ewing (AUS); Filipe Toledo (BRA); Gabriel Medina (BRA); Griffin Colapinto (USA); Jack Robinson (AUS); Joan Duru (FRA); João Chianca (BRA); John John Florence (USA); Jordy Smith (RSA); Matthew McGillivray (RSA); Kanoa Igarashi (JPN); Kauli Vaast (FRA); Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA); Lucca Mesinas (PER); Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR); Reo Inaba (JPN); Rio Waida (INA); Tim Elter (GER).