After a long day of sailing we arrived in a beautiful spot. Coconut trees hung over shallow waters, framing a simple copra house, with a good vantage point over the lagoon. Cartoon-like, outside the reef, a left and right peeled into each other, with nobody around.

Why have I avoided showing any surf photos or writing about the amazing spots we’ve encountered on our trip? The remote breaks in Polynesia are like virgin maidens in a forest; only sighted after enormous efforts, but they can become easy targets for hungry surfer wolves.

Still, who doesn’t like to dream over empty lineup shots? We will share pictures on instagram when the places are out of context. And if people really want to know, I can share the details of a spot — over a cup of coffee, not online.

This particular spot is quite difficult to find, and nobody would bother, as better waves are found in “easier” places. Most surf breaks in French Polynesia are on reef passes, which have recognizable features on a chart; yet here is an exception, a rarity located on a random crack in the reef, amid the miles of reef surrounding these ancient atolls.

Aldebaran felt exposed, rolling and pitching in the cross-ocean swells. It reminded me of our surf explorations in Central America. It was what I had dreamed of– spending a season in the vast Tuamotos archipelago finding its hidden gems. Yet, I was also about to pay a price for coming to this place.