This week on Pinch My Salt, we sit down with the legendary Raimana Van Bastolaer, the iconic Tahitian surfer, Teahupo’o waterman, surf guide, wave pool coach, and one of the most beloved characters in surfing. Raimana tells wild stories from the early days of Teahupo’o, growing up around Manoa Drollet, switching from bodyboarding to surfing, hosting Hawaiian surfers like Pancho Sullivan, Noah Johnson, Andy Irons, and Bruce Irons, and helping bring big-wave safety, jet skis, and surf culture to one of the heaviest waves on earth. Raimana also talks about working with Kelly Slater, the Surf Ranch, celebrity surfers, Prince Harry surfing, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and the hilarious story behind Cindy Crawford calling him the “Blue Pill.” We get into the Kelly Slater vs Joel Tudor / FireWire surfboard drama, surf industry politics, wave pools, getting beginners barreled, white rice, Tahitian energy, and why Raimana might be the funniest surf legend alive. This episode has everything: Teahupo’o stories, Tahiti surf history, Kelly Slater stories, Andy Irons and Bruce Irons memories, celebrity surf coaching, surf comedy, wave pool madness, FireWire surfboards, Joel Tudor opinions, and pure Raimana joy. If you love surf podcasts, surf comedy, surfing stories, Teahupo’o legends, Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Tahiti surfing, Surf Ranch, wave pools, or just hearing one of surfing’s most joyful humans tell insane stories, this episode is for you. Drop a comment for Raimana, tell us your favorite story from the episode, and let us know who we should have on Pinch My Guest next. Subscribe to Pinch My Salt for more surf comedy, surf culture, surf industry stories, legendary guests, and salty conversations from the weirdest corners of the surfing world. Keywords Raimana Van Bastolaer, Raimana surfer, Teahupo’o, Tahiti surfing, Tahitian surfer, surf podcast, surfing podcast, surf comedy podcast, Pinch My Salt, Pinch My Guest, Kelly Slater, Kelly Slater Surf Ranch, Prince Harry surfing, Cindy Crawford surfing, Jonah Hill surfing, Matthew McConaughey surfing, Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Joel Tudor, FireWire surfboards, Kelly Slater FireWire, wave pool surfing, Surf Ranch, celebrity surfers, big wave surfing, Tahiti surf guide, Teahupo’o history, Manoa Drollet, Pancho Sullivan, Noah Johnson, surf industry drama, surfboard industry, bodyboarding to surfing, getting barreled, surf guide, surf coach, surfing legends Hashtags #Raimana #Teahupoo #KellySlater #SurfPodcast #PinchMySalt #Surfing #SurfComedy #TahitiSurfing #SurfRanch #WavePool #AndyIrons #BruceIrons #JoelTudor #FireWireSurfboards #PrinceHarry #CindyCrawford #SurfCulture #BigWaveSurfing #SurfLegends #PinchMyGuest