[Geary]

Sorry to hear about you losing your board, Baz .. unfortunately, "borrowing" stuff has been part of Tahitian culture for eons. You go to a friend's house for dinner, you like something, and he's pretty much obligated to give it to you. Not to say night time thievery is OK, but can't be judged in the same black & white terms as here in the U.S. They just look at it as you not caring enough about your stuff to guard it next to your bed.

Tow-in is another story. We all know the rules. When paddling surfers are in the water, they have the right-of-way. Some flexibility is allowed if you pick off perhaps a single wave out of every 2nd or 3rd set of waves, or the lesser waves in the sets. Most certainly if you're an obvious visitor. I don't blame the boogie boarder for his actions, and I'm sick of the pros' attitudes. My son surfed Tahiti a lot, and would never have acted like that pro.