This is NOT MY EXPERIENCE. Only sharing to share awareness
⚠️ Read Carefully – For All Surfers and Locals ⚠️
On July 11, 2025, I had an experience that deeply marked me, and today I feel the need to talk about it. Not to complain, but to raise awareness and prevent it from happening again.
That day, I went surfing with a friend at the peninsula. I tied my Jet Ski to a buoy with a carabiner, not far from another Jet Ski anchored there and a kayak also tied to the same buoy with a knot.
While we were surfing, I saw the guys from the anchored Jet Ski waving frantically at me. I realised something was wrong, and then I saw a guy (the one with the kayak) trying to hold onto my Jet Ski, which had just come loose.
I caught a wave to try to get the Jet Ski out of the west bowl. But too late… I just brushed against it when a wave hit it, flipped it over. I rushed, turned it back upright, jumped on to try to start it, and then… another wave threw us directly onto the reef, high and dry.
By a miracle, I wasn’t hurt. But my Jet Ski was seriously damaged.
I asked the guy if he was okay. He said: “Yes, yes, the buoy broke.”
But a few minutes later, the three guys from the other Jet Ski came to me and told me that NO, the buoy didn’t break. It was him who untied my Jet Ski.
At that moment, I was lost, shocked. They caught up with me, towed me with their Jet Ski to the shore while following him. I asked him where he was staying, he answered vaguely and didn’t seem willing to cooperate…
I called my father to ask what to do, and he sent a friend of his to help me handle the situation. Together, we checked the damages with the guy (an American tourist), who then told me he didn’t have travel insurance and didn’t want to go to the police.
Despite everything, I stayed calm, tried to remain human. I told him he would have to pay for the repairs. We took him to a Jet Ski mechanic friend who gave a quick estimate under pressure (because the tourist had a flight that same evening) of 250,000 XPF. But today, after the full repairs, the real bill was more than 400,000 XPF — plus I lost my phone, my glasses, and a lot of belongings in the water during the crash.
He only gave me 30,000 XPF at the ATM, saying he couldn’t give more. I asked for a transfer, he refused but said that if I found a credit card machine (TPE), then he could pay. I searched for a TPE, and thanks to friends who helped me, he eventually paid with his card, then left without apologising and without a word.
A few days later, I learned that he had returned to the United States, and even worse: he asked his bank for a refund, claiming that the payment was a mistake. To make matters worse, he no longer answers my messages or calls.
I find it serious that at 40 years old this man is so dishonest and runs away from his responsibilities.
On top of that, he tarnishes the reputation of honest foreigners by behaving like this.
This kind of behaviour creates huge tension with locals, and that’s why some become stricter. If you come surfing here, respect the place, respect the people, and above all take responsibility for your actions.
Message to all surfers and locals:
Be careful. If this happens to you, don’t do like I did — even if the person seems honest at the time, don’t be fooled by their acting.
✅ Go directly to the police.
✅ Get an official statement.
✅ Have written and visual proof.
Too many people take advantage of our kindness.
And this needs to stop.
