By Skip Kelly
Cowabunga! Riding the wild surf of Tahiti looks pretty darn impressive on the giant 40-foot IMAX screen.
“The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D” is no ordinary surf film. Actually, it is not a surf film in the conventional sense, but an ed
ucational documentary on the science of waves and the history of the Tahitian Islands in the South Pacific.
Directed by Canadian IMAX specialist Stephen Low, “Ultimate Wave” stars Florida’s most famous surfer and one of the finest surfers in the world, Kelly Slater. The co-star is Tahiti’s most famous and revered waterman, Raimana Van Bastolaer.
Cocoa Beach native Kelly Slater is the winningest surfer of all time. He won his first ASA World Championship at age 20, the youngest ever, and he recently won at again at age 38- the oldest World Champ ever.
Kelly Slater in “Ultimate Wave” in 3-D
Slater isn’t just about surfing. He is an ardent environmentalist with a particular concern for the oceans and living reefs of the world.
The film begins with a kind of travelogue that introduces the 118 South Pacific Islands known as Tahiti. Then we are introduced to Slater and his buddy Raimana Van Bastolaer, Tahiti’s most famous surfer and a kind of spiritual brother to Slater. The men are physical opposites. Blond (he now shaves his balding hair), blue-eyed Slater is wiry and trim. Dark-haired, dark-eyed native Polynesian Bastolaer is self-deprecatingly plump.
It takes a while for the actual surfing to begin, with Slater on his customary short board and Bastolaer on a large, stand-up paddle board (SUP).
My guess is the paddle board was handy for the large, bulky IMAX camera which evidently was mounted on the board for some surfer’s eye view of the incredible waves of the Teahupo’o break off the coast of the islands. It’s not the sheer size of the waves, it is their beautiful shape and symmetry, coming unbroken across thousands of miles in the open Pacific to meet the barrier reefs of Tahiti.
“Ultimate Wave” was three years in the making, and I can see why. There must have been an incredible amount of flub-ups and outtakes. Surfing with grace is hard enough, but to make it look easy with a camera following you must be harder than any competition.
There were other movies opening this weekend, but for someone like me, who loves surfing and the ocean, there was no choice. “The Ultimate Wave Tahiti” was a must-see, even though 3-D doesn’t quite work for me.
Combo tickets (related Museum of Science & Discovery exhibits and IMAX) are $16 adults, $15 seniors and $9 children 2-12. IMAX only is $9 adults, $8 seniors and $7 children 2-12. Call 954-713-0940 or visit www.mods.org.