Code Red 2.0 shot on iPhone with Matahi Drollet
Matahi Drollet is one of the most talented surfers and watermen in the world. What he can do in the ocean, on any craft, in any size, is what happens when you grow up at the End of the Road and Teahupo’o is your daily wave. Matahi’s surfing is a reflection of that. It’s what would happen if you mixed Laird Hamilton and Kai Lenny with John John Florence and Dane Reynolds. Radical fusion and incredible and unpredictable surfing in any condition the ocean can muster.
We called Matahi to see what the aftermath of Code Red 2.0 at Teahupo’o looked like…and we got a bonus hello from Noah Beschen, who happened to be over there and locked into the wave of his life as well.
The stories they casually tell are as heavy as anything you’ll ever hear — helmets getting blasted off heads, indicator buoys disappearing, lost take off spots and skis, houses flooding, 100 pound fish getting eaten by sharks and some of the tallest Teahupo’o we’ve ever seen. Most of that before 10 a.m.—Brandon Guilmette
Brandon Guilmette: Matahi. What up? How are you?
Matahi Drollet: What's up, bro? I'm good. I'm good. Just cleaning the yard at the house because of the swell.
What happened? It got nuts, huh?
Yeah, I think because of the moon the tide was super high and with the swell in addition, it just like flooded Chopes. My house was under water, during the day and at midnight, like twice.
So like how much water? Like four feet of water?
It was like knee high almost.
Noah Beschen: Oh Yeah, what up Gilly?!
Yeah. Noah, what up? Fuck. You guys got some psycho waves, dude.
Shit, it was so sick. So big and scary. Noah got the ride of the swell, I think.
Did he? No way! You let him borrow your gear?
Yeah! He had this gear, so it was like a perfect match.
How come it was so it was so much gnarlier than the first Code Red swell?
Yeah, because there was so much period. It wasn’t as gnarly as Code Red, but it was way bigger because it was a south swell. The waves were taller and just angry and it was just different. There was no one in the water. It was so scary.
“The cops were getting nuts on us. Saying, ‘Oh, you guys cannot go out. You have to stay on land.’ And we were kinda like...not listening, you know? [Laughs]”
No way. So the police were trying to arrest people and stuff for going out?
Yeah, they came to my house and were like, ‘You guys can't do this. Don't you guys know that the high commissioner put the Red Code, you gonna have to pay fine [if you go out.]?’ They were telling my dad that I towed someone — cause I towed my friend in the morning — like the first one out and my friend got a huge one and hit his head on the reef and I had to call the ambulance and he had to go to the hospital and then the cops came. They were like, “Oh, I heard your son is towing. Like, you know, he's surfing right now and blah, blah, you guys gonna get in trouble…anyways, it was a shit show.
That's crazy. Is your friend alright?
Yeah, he is alright. He got like a few stitches on the head — like 15! [Laughs]
Oh shit, dude.
Then I had to go back out and then there was no boat. There weren't that many like filmers and it was just like a few iPhone clips with a few surfers like Dom [Mosqueira] was out, Ben [Thouard] was out — that was about it, you know? So that's like you go surf and probably get the biggest wave over your life with just iPhone angles, you know, just crazy.
Nuts!
You know what happened early in the morning, a huge wave came — like a 10-meter wave and it broke the buoy. What I realized is that everyone in the channel — the boat drivers, the jet ski drivers — they all use the buoy as a marker. And as soon as the buoy was gone in the morning, they didn’t know where they were. The wave took the buoy out and the water was murky. It was brown and you couldn't see the bottom. So you didn't know where you were. And then my driver and Billy’s [Kemper] driver, when the huge wave would come, it had such a big wall that it looked like it was going to break further down. So they kept chasing it. And then when you let go the rope…fuck. I don't know how to explain it. It's so weird because it's so big. It looks like it's in front actually we have to, to go slow and then wait wait wait. But it was hard because the buoy wasn't there. So you were just like driving in a weird position. They kept driving far, far, far, and then we'd be out of the barrel. It was shitty. I don't know. I'm so bummed on the wave I got, Billy was pretty bummed too. Cause he was like shoulder hopping the wave [laughs].
It looks so scary. He was like skipping down the face on it. It was nuts.
Brah it’s so sketchy, like if you eat shit on those bumps though, bro you're in the worst position.
Oh my gosh. What was the heaviest thing you saw that day?
Just the waves were so angry. Like yeah, just some sets. It was like some 30-foot waves with like a 30-foot chandelier, it was sketchy.
Did you get a bunch of waves or just like couple?
I just got like four or five waves. But most of the people were only going for one wave and they were done. At a certain point I was by myself and it was huge. And I was by myself for four hours just sitting, waiting the biggest one, I was like, “Bro, am I really surfing this Red Code swell by myself?” It’s so heavy. Like, fuck!
Noah Beschen: Yeah, you’re so heavy!
Even in the morning I get there. It's huge. No one's out. And I ask my friend, “Hey, you wanna get a wave? I’ll tow you if you want.” And then he is like, "Yeah, let's go!” And he barely knows how to hold the rope! I had to teach him that on the outside. And then I'm like, “Hey bro, we gonna go for 10-12 footer first so you can feel the board. He never towed before. He never used that small of a board. Uh, well, next thing you know, the fucking 30-foot face shows up! [Laughs]
“I’m like, ‘Hey, you wanna go?’ And he is like, ‘I guess we are going.’ And then I start towing him. As he lets go of the rope, I just see him dropping into the biggest and darkest hole. I’m like, “Fuck, I hope I didn’t just kill my friend!” ”
And then he rode the wave for a bit and then at the last second something happened…he ate shit. And then with all my friends, we go rescue him. And it was heavy, I think that was the heaviest thing I saw that day. He had a helmet on and when he ate shit, the helmet came off and then he hit his head right after. And then he was like on the dry reef, like floating. And he was like, just whitewashed. It was super bright white ‘cause the sun was like already up, and then around his head, there was like a huge thing of blood around his head. And I was like, “Whoa, no more helmet!”
We had to grab him. One of Waimea’s good lifeguard that sit behind the ski was there behind Lorenzo. So he grabbed him, put him on the sled. And then I go to look at him and his face is just like covered blood. Like he's pissing blood everywhere. I’m like, “Oh God, that's how this day starts.”
“We put him here on the ground and then we tried to tell him to like, “Stay with us, stay awake and then the waves came and my yard’s getting flooded and we had to lift him up. It’s a shit show.”
Oh my gosh, what time was that at?
Like 9 or 10 in the morning. And then, uh, I had to take care of him. I put him in the ambulance. So it takes like an hour. I go back out. I thought there was gonna be people surfing. I go back, everyone's still on their ski, just watching the waves. I started looking at the wave and every set that was come would just look impossible to ride. I was like, “Fuck, you know what? Maybe I should just stop watching the waves and just to go surf.”
I went out by myself and then I took one wave, then second one and then Eimeo came out and then a huge wave came, he took the wave, ate shit. And then there was another guy, Kala Grace came and took a wave, made it and he was done and then I was searching by myself. It was a weird day. Like so weird.
Yeah. Psycho dude. Well, shit. I'm glad. Everyone's all good though. That was a heavy day it looked like.
So heavy! [Laughs]
So what you're just working on the yard? Like the whole place got flooded?
Yeah. Look at the, the dock. There's nothing to walk on anymore. Look, there are holes in the yard — huge hole here now. That's all the wood from the dock we had to grab. Everything was flooded.
What else you been doing?
Remember the place where we did that signing a long time ago? Above that there is like a fun bar. Where all the young chicks go [laughs]…’cause we are kind getting old now [laughs].
So you guys are too old for the chicks now?
No, not too old. But borderline [laughs].
Gosh, no way show 'em the waves you guys got the other day and they'll be tripping.
They already saw for sure [laughing].
So no more waves?
No more waves. Probably gonna go fishing later. Kalani [Rivero] is here. So yeah, probably spearing, but I'm super into jigging, now, with the fishing pole. Fuck, I’m so into it now. So maybe I want to go jigging instead of spear fishing.
Hey, what happened to the fish you got the other day? The huge one.
It would've been the best fish of my life. It got eaten by a shark. It’s cause I'm using a super light setup and I wasn't expecting that fucking monster to bite my lure. And then I don't know. There's just so many sharks in the water. And then it got destroyed and I only could bring back, the head — but the head was like 25 pounds. Just the head! Oh my God. It's like fucking huge fish. That be like a hundred pounds. I don't know.
The struggles of Tahiti life. Monster waves, monster fish and monster sharks!
Not being able to bring back the whole fish. No chicks. Just fish heads.
Giant waves take out your yard and your house.
Life in Tahiti bro.
Your friend hits his head on Teahupo’o reef his first time ever towing in and on a Code Red swell and then you put him in your room and he gets washed away by a wave!
[Laughing] And me trying to put Vaseline on his head.
Oh my gosh, dude, you guys are nuts. Well, shit. I'm stoked you guys are safe and sound and that was sick to watch. Hopefully someone has some more footage. Shit.
Yeah. I dunno. Noah got the best footage.
Noah Beschen: So heavy! [laughs]
And guess who was driving the jet ski! [laughs]
““I started looking at the wave and every set that would come would just look impossible to ride. I was like, “Fuck, you know what? Maybe I should just stop watching the waves and just to go surf.””
Code Red on iPhone
“He had a helmet on and when he ate shit, the helmet came off and then he hit his head right after.”
“I had to go back out and there was no boat! There weren’t many filmers either, it was just a few iPhone clips...so it was like you go surf and probably get the biggest wave over your life with just iPhone angles! ”
Code Red on iPhone.
“It would’ve been the best fish of my life, [but] it got eaten by a shark. It’s cause I’m using a super light setup and I wasn’t expecting that fucking monster to bite my lure. Then I don’t know...there’s just so many sharks in the water. I could only bring back the head — but the head was like 25 pounds. Just the head! ”
The one that got away.
