NIKO RICHARDS

I grew up on the beach at Pointe Venus, Mahina on the north coast of the island of Tahiti. It is in this idyllic tropical setting, at the age of 9, I discovered bodyboarding with my older brother. It immediately became a passion. A few years later, I participated and won my first competition.

And then I discovered the waves at the reefs. There I realized that I was growing up on an island which has some of the best waves in the world like Teahupoo, Taapuna, Nuuroa...

In 1999, then aged 19, I started to get noticed as I took on some very heavy swell. I was one of few that tried tow-in surfing ... From there I got sponsors and tried to move forward and push my limits .. .dropoff window

Niko's passion for big waves became known across the world... In 2013 he was awarded second place for the 'Craziest Wave of the Year' in Riptide magazine. Niko's search for the next big swell pushs the limits of bodyboarding as we know it.

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