GoPro Spherical: Tahiti Surf VR
Anthony Walsh and Matahi Drollet bring us inside some of the biggest barrels Tahiti has to offer in full 360°.
For the most immersive experience, click and drag on your desktop, or move your iOS device in any direction.
Posted by GoPro on Thursday, November 12, 2015
GoPro never ceases to amaze me. What started as Nick Woodman’s way to film himself on surf trips, evolved into a quirky novelty, and ultimately, has come to rule the freaking world. They’re like the Google of gadgetry, arbiters of awesome. I used to get annoyed when every 12-year-old grommet at my local surf break would be filming themselves pull into two-foot closeout barrels on boogieboards – it felt like some gross, obsessive strain of narcissism for the digital age.
But I’m just a hater by nature; nothing personal, Mr. Woodman.
As quick as I was to chastise, I’m even quicker to bite my tongue and shut the hell up. The latest from GoPro is a huge step in their ceaseless evolution of epicness – they’ve strapped cameras capable of 360 degree views onto two of the greatest specialists at Teahupoo. The result? A truly eye-gasmic experience.
I’ll admit it. When this first landed in my inbox, I set it aside with a scoff and a “psshhh.” Later, while enjoying a styrofoam plate full of street tacos for lunch, I clicked the link and put on my headphones…I had nothing better to do while my hands were occupied by greasy goodness. Being the tech imbecile that I am, a swell of confusion washed over me. All I could see was the lip of a wave. After watching the entire three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, I tossed my headphones off, vocally expressed my disapproval (sparking weird looks in the office), and continued enjoying Al Pastor tacos.
But a slight curiosity lingered. Why would my boss send me this horseshit if it was, in fact, horseshit?
With my detective hat on, I solved the puzzle (read: I looked at the caption). Oh. My. God. By clicking around the video, I had a full 360° view of Matahi Drollet and Anthony Walsh getting impossibly shacked, something I could no doubt never do myself, yet here I was, experiencing it. Even better was when I watched it on my iPhone – no clicking, just move and the camera moves too. My personal favorite was spinning in circles in my desk chair while holding the phone. Crazy view, but not great for the stomach – those al pastor tacos nearly resurfaced.
So here I am again, biting my tongue for ever vilifying GoPro, sulking in my own taco grease of shame. Damn you Nick Woodman! JK, we <3 u.
