Visit Teahupo’o, Tahiti and get into some of the heaviest waves in the world, from perspectives that few will ever be able to experience, through The World of Red Bull: Big Wave Surfing episode – available as of October 1st at 6pm PT on Apple TV for Apple Vision Pro.
Despite the video being only 180°, this experience is so well done that it feels completely immersive.
Many Perspectives, Carefully Choreographed
The eight-minute experience feels like a complete journey. Big Wave Surfing moves visitors through a significant range of perspectives without feeling jarring. The perspectives help you grasp just how extreme and beautiful surfing can be in Teahupo’o. The contrast between the calm moments and the surfers riding the massive waves shows just how brave these athletes are.
You get in the water with some of the best surfers in the world as they train, including with Olympic Gold Medalist Italo Ferreira, World Champion Molly Picklum, local hero Michel Bourez, and more. You visit fish in the reef, get near the surface of massive waves and calm waters, join spectators and photographers on boats, and also soar above it. The transitions feel smooth, almost keeping pace with the waves as they form and break. Each moment holds just long enough to take in what is happening before transitioning to the next spot, but you’ll want to visit it again to catch details you may have missed. Look out for the rainbow that forms over a massive wave.
Just Enough Narration To Support The Experience
At moments throughout the experience, the voiceover narration gives the context needed to understand what it is like to surf in Teahupoʻo. Visitors get enough information to better understand what they are seeing, and then enough space to take it in for themselves. The extreme consequences and payoffs of the sport are better understood by virtually being there.
There is no break in the narrative to hear individual surfer stories. Instead, you get glimpses of the wider surfer community from different positions within it.
And, while this is a Red Bull experience, as with their other content, the brand is not forced into the story. It is just naturally integrated into shots as it appears on some apparel. The athletes and the premium experience are supported by Red Bull. It is not a veiled ad.
Details That Create Intense Immersion
The beautiful direction paired with the rich visuals, sounds captured during the epic shoot and subtle soundtrack creates the kind of immersive experience that shows off some of the best features of the Apple Vision Pro. The details are perfectly aligned to temporarily convince you that you are there.
You can see the details in the coral below the surface, through to the different ways that sunlight passes through the calm and massive waves that feel real enough to reach out to touch. I caught myself ducking as sparkling water splashed in my direction.
With spatial audio alone, the moments feel real as you can hear the changing environment around you. The underwater moments where noise is muted are so calming.
For me, Big Wave Surfing sets a new gold standard for Apple Immersive sports storytelling.
