Surfing Guinness Book of World Records recognized a wave ride by Garrett McNamara at Nazaré, Portugal as the largest wave ever surfed. For hundreds of years, surfing was a central part of ancient Polynesian culture. Surfing may have first been observed by British explorers at Tahiti in 1767. Samuel Wallis and the crew members of who were the first Britons to visit the island in June of that year. Another candidate is the botanist Joseph Banks being part of the first voyage of James Cook on , who arrived on Tahiti on 10 April 1769. Lieutenant James King was the first
Tahiti Rugby Union at the Pacific Games. Tahiti Rugby Union The Tahiti Rugby Union () is the governing body for rugby union in Tahiti. It was founded in 1989 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1994. It is also a full member of the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU), which is the governing body for rugby union in Oceania. The Tahiti 15-a-side team has competed at the South Pacific Games in the 1970s and 80s, and more recently has played for the FORU Oceania Cup. Tahiti fields teams in 7's competitions as well as 15's. The national women's 7s