10 Rules Surfers Must Follow in Tahiti’s Olympic Village

The surfers of the 2024 Summer Olympics will not compete in the competition in Paris, but more than 14,500 kilometers away.

First introduced at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the highly anticipated sport is now making a return to the Olympics. This year, however, surfers will be competing at a venue notorious for its “world’s heaviest wave.”

Surfers battle it out at Teahupo’o, a world-famous surf spot with big waves and breathtaking scenery just off the coast of a small, quiet fishing village on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.

The wave is mechanical, pumping out picture-perfect barrels that are a surfer’s dream, but it is just as important because of the shallow reef beneath it.

Team USA surfer Griffin Colapinto — currently ranked No. 2 in the world on the WSL Tour — describes it as “one of the most dangerous, most rewarding waves in the world.” He previously told PEOPLE, “You can either die out there or you can have the best ride of your life.”

Caroline Marks, the reigning world surfing champion and Team USA representative, told PEOPLE that Teahupo’o is “one of the most beautiful, incredible waves” but also noted that it is “also one of the most intense and scary waves in the world.”

Since the surf location is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you might be wondering what the equivalent of an Olympic Village is for the surfers competing in this year’s Olympics. While they won’t be staying in Paris with the rest of the athletes, many will be staying on a Tahitian cruise ship at sea!

While similar to the Olympic Village in Paris, there are several rules the surfers must follow during their stay. Julie Dussliere, Senior VP, Chief of Paralympics & Internally Managed Sports, gave PEOPLE the exclusive breakdown of the do’s and don’ts the athletes must follow.

Read on for the rules surfers must adhere to in the Olympic Village in Tahiti!

Surfers don’t have to stay on the Olympic Village cruise ship

The 2024 Summer Games will introduce the “first-ever floating Olympic village,” a residential area for the surfers competing in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. The cruise ship will serve as a housing option for the 48 surfers, with private quarters complete with beds (not notoriously cardboard-like!).

However, Dussliere tells PEOPLE that not all athletes are required to stay on the floating vessel! “Athletes are free to stay wherever they want,” she says. Team USA, for example, does not stay on the boat.

“A lot of countries and athletes have chosen to rent homes in the Teahupo’o area instead of staying on the cruise ship,” she explains. “Team USA’s site is in the town of Teahupo’o, right by the ‘End of the Road’ and the Point.”

If Team USA wants to check out the floating Olympic Village, they are more than welcome! “Athletes will have access to the Paris 2024 village on the cruise ship if they want to go there,” Dussliere adds.

Surfers don’t have to sleep on cardboard beds in Tahiti’s Olympic Village

Compared to athletes staying in the Paris Olympic Village, surfers don’t have to sleep on cardboard beds. Both the cruise ship and local Tahitian accommodations have regular beds with regular mattresses.

“All of the homes are typical of French Polynesian homes with a strong emphasis on outdoor living and functional outdoor spaces,” Dussliere says. “The Team USA housing in Teahupo’o is in a private home and all of the furniture is in the home. The beds are not cardboard.”

Surfer Caroline Marks gave her followers a glimpse of her Tahitian abode on Instagram, showing off the French Polynesian island’s natural beauty and stunning geography. “Surfers don’t have an Olympic Village, we have this…” she wrote in the caption.

Dussliere says that each home is “unique,” ​​explaining that they “vary in size, as is common in any city or neighborhood.” However, she also noted that “some homes have air conditioning, while others do not.”

Access to the Tahiti Olympic Village is determined by the nation

Like most of the rules of the Olympic Village, they are drawn up and decided by each country’s delegation, as are who has access to the grounds.

“Each country has its own parameters for access,” Dussliere says. “The Team USA site is considered a ‘village’ for the Team USA surfing delegation, which includes team management, coaches, medical staff and athletes.”

She adds: “All the rules that apply to Team USA in the village in Paris also apply to Team USA in Teahupo’o.”

Surfers don’t have to live with a roommate in Tahiti’s Olympic Village

Athletes in the Paris Olympic Village are assigned roommates, usually someone who is on the same team and plays the same sport. For Team USA surfers, Dussliere says each athlete has “their own bedroom” in their Tahiti housing.

However, roommate rules “depend on the country and the housing situation… whether it’s in a private home or on a cruise ship,” she adds.

Surfers can live together with athletes from other countries in the Tahiti Olympic Village

If surfers want to share a room with surfers from another country, Dussliere says they can “if they want to.” This rule differs from that of athletes in Paris, who are not allowed to share an apartment with someone from another country.

While there is flexibility for surfers competing in Tahiti, she says that “most countries that participate in surfing rent their own houses and don’t share them with other countries.”

Surfers don’t have to adhere to the quiet hours at the Tahiti Olympic Village

Unlike the Olympic Village in Paris, where athletes must observe silence between 10pm and 7am local time, surfers competing in Tahiti do not have to adhere to that rule.

“Team USA is based in the village of Teahupo’o and the normal activities of the local residents are still taking place there in conjunction with the Olympic Games,” Dussliere said of why there are no silent hours enforced at the Tahiti Village equivalent.

Surfers are not allowed to bring pets into the Tahiti Olympic Village

In both Paris and Tahiti, pets are not allowed. “Members of the Team USA delegation will not bring pets to the Games,” Dussliere clarifies.

Surfers don’t have to cook for themselves in Tahiti’s Olympic Village

Surfers competing in the Olympics have only one thing to focus on: competition. To make sure they are energized and full of energy to perform their best, the Team USA committee has them covered.

Dussliere says that “meals and snacks” are included in Team USA’s “self-sufficient” Olympic Village in Teahupo’o. “The team has a chef who prepares meals daily for our Team USA delegation,” she says.

Team USA’s Griffin Colapinto gave his followers a glimpse of the village just days before the Olympics began. He posted an Instagram carousel of some of his meals, including a plate of rice and vegetables in one image and a fresh smoothie in another video.

Surfers have access to the services at the Tahiti Olympic Village

Team USA surfers will have access to all the 2024 Summer Olympics services at Base Camp on the Point in Teahupo’o. This of course includes a gym.

“Team USA also has a basic training area on the Team USA property, with equipment such as bands, weights, kettlebells, yoga mats and more,” Dussliere said.

The Tahiti Olympic Village is not open to the public

Despite being thousands of kilometres away from the main stadiums in Paris, the Olympic Committee ensures that the best security measures are taken for the participating athletes.

“Paris 2024 will provide security for the venue and the Team USA site will be within the Paris 2024 security zone,” Dussliere said.