ABU DHABI: Last summer at the Paris Olympics, Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam attacked one monster wave after another at Tahiti’s iconic Teahupo’o, going toe-to-toe with Brazilian Joao Chianca in one of the most memorable heats of the Games. The duo traded perfect 8-to-10-foot barrels throughout the heat, with Boukhiam scoring a stunning 9.70 on one of his waves. But the Moroccan’s total, which combines the highest-scoring two waves per surfer, ended up being just 0.3 points short of Chianca’s tally and he missed out on a spot in the quarter-finals and a chance to fight for an Olympic medal. “It was pretty much the conditions that I love, that I dream of. Perfect heats, at perfect Teahupo’o, big waves, barrels.