Mihimana Braye just wrapped up his second year on the WSL Challenger Series — a full seven stops covering five continents in 2022 as opposed to 2021’s four-month CS sprint. For a guy who’s really made his mark as a standout in the Teahupo’o lineup, the grind of a competitive surfer throwing on a jersey at chest-high beach breaks while his home spot churns out 20-foot bombs just sounds a touch more odd than usual. And Teahupo’o did just that a lot this past year. It turns out Braye didn’t miss out on too many memorable swells while on the road. Even if he had, he signed up for this, he says. And he’s clearly as committed to his professional and competitive goals as he is to the wave in his backyard.
With another calendar year wrapping up and another memorable season at Teahupo’o in the books, Braye took some time to pump out an edit with his best rides at that very wave. It felt like a good time to pick his brain and reflect on it all, from Code Red 2 to the Challenger Series, who’s standing out most in that Teahupo’o lineup, and how he’s balancing it all.
Let’s jump right in with a tough one and put you on the spot. It feels like the local crew at Teahupo’o is better than ever right now. Who’s charging the hardest out of the bunch?
Yes, I feel like the new generation of Tahitians are charging bigger waves than ever and better than ever. I think names like Matahi Drollet and Gilbert Teave are the guys that impressed me a lot out there.
You didn’t have much downtime between that Code Red 2 swell and the CS event in California (US Open) this year. What’s it like going from the high of a “swell-of-a-lifetime” to putting on a contest jersey in Huntington?
It’s always hard to do both. You gotta find the timing and have the right mindset to go from 20-foot Teahupo’o back to the grind of 1-3 foot HB, but that’s good training for adaptation and it gives you a lot of confidence overall.
A bulk of the CS schedule actually ran through Teahupo’o’s best months. You obviously got plenty of waves at home this year but were there any comps that forced you to miss solid swell back in Tahiti?
While I was in South Africa I missed a solid, perfect paddle swell at home. It’s never easy to see all your friend scoring but that’s part of it. I sign up for this and I’ll have my part of that cake some other day anyway.
How much does your relationship with that wave change from year to year? I’ve gotta imagine you go into each new season at Teahupo’o trying to push new boundaries there, or is that not your mindset?
I spent so much time out there the last three years. Teahupo’o is the best wave in the world and I feel so good there. She’s given me the best feelings a human can ever get and I’m so grateful for this wave. I feel the connection more and more between me and her — the MANA! My name is Mihimana, I’m chasing this. So I’ve been pushing each and every paddle session this year to try and catch one of the biggest waves out there.
