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For some people, travel, and the simple act of leaving home is necessary to make a name and life for oneself, for others  staying in one place is all that is ever desired.  However,  Polynesian raised waterman, Tahitian-Teiva Joyeux, it would seem that destiny was written into his name at birth.   In the Tahitian language the name Teiva means ‘’One who comes from far away who goes far away.’  In French the word Joyeux means ‘Happy;’ For Teiva coming from far away (France,) and going far away (Hawaii,) was where he created a name for himself and ran into his destiny, a young Norwegian beauty named Nina, but, it was in finally coming home that Teiva found his peace and his place on earth and his Joyeux-ness.

Early Years     

As a young kid with lots of energy growing up on the Island of Moorea Teiva Joyeux always wanted to be around the ocean.  This energy was channeled through the sport of windsurfing and surfing. Teiva’s love of the Ocean and Islands and his super stylish talent for windsurfing eventually led him away from his home in Tahiti when he moved to the Hawaiian Island of Maui.  It was in Maui that Teiva’s life changed in so many ways;  firstly, a young Teiva met Robby Naish who sponsored Teiva but also incorporated Teiva’s artistic Polynesian designs  into the Naish sails, (and for many the entire Naish identity.)  Anyone who has windsurfed can easily remember the Polynesian designs, but very few people knew that Teiva was the artist behind the Naish designs, that were so widely used.  After spending a number of years windsurfing and designing for Naish Teiva left the company to explore other avenues, one of which led Teiva to the hot young sport of kitesurfing.   Always keen to try new things and explore different waves of playing in the ocean Teiva quickly excelled and concentrated his stylish riding, pulled by a kite instead of a windsurfer.  It was around this time that Teiva met the woman that would some day become his wife and soul mate.  

Soul Mates

Teiva first met the beautiful young Norwegian ripper, Nina Heiberg, on the Island of Maui.  Both Nina and Teiva were spending a lot of time at Kite beach as part of the new school of kiters using two line kites and wakeboard style boards and gear.  This low flying,, powered and technical style of riding was contrary to the huge, floaty air, soggy k pant wearing spectacle that kiteboarding was known for at the time.   Drawn together by a love of the ocean and an open-mindedness to riding waves (both Nina and Teiva have always believed that riding waves is all about fun and whether you are windsurfing, kiting, stand up paddling, tow-surfing, foil boarding or even tradition surfing riding waves is all about the smile on your face,)   Teiva and Nina soon moved to the Island of Oahu and began to live together; sharing their love of the Ocean while Nina studied at the University in Honolulu. 

Playing or spending time with the woman of his dreams all paths constantly led him back to the ocean.  But, as the ocean gives it can also take away, and Teiva learned this lesson in a painful way on Friday December 2nd 2005.

Malik

On the morning of Friday December 2nd 2005 Teiva Joyeux was relaxing on the beach watching his younger brother Malik get some great barrels at Banzai, pipeline on the north shore of Oahu.  Malik had been immortalized a short while earlier by catching the biggest barrel ever seen on one of the craziest waves ever imagined, in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.  To put some perspective on this, a similar, but much smaller wave at Teahupo’o had made big wave legend, Laird Hamilton,  a man known for charging all the biggest gnarliest waves on the planet weep.  Malik, came out of one of history’s heaviest barrels and simply smiled from ear to ear.   Malik was no lightweight in the surfing world.  As Teiva watched Malik take off on one particular wave Malik was a bit late and the punishing lip at Pipeline smacked Malik, breaking his board and driving him underwater.  Malik didn’t come up again until 15 minutes later at Ehukai beach park.  All the while Teiva had stood on the shore, watching helplessly, as his younger brother rode the last wave of his life.

Soon after, Teiva returned home to Tahiti with Nina, to be with his family, leaving the Hawaiian Islands indefinitely.

Coming Home

After spending the better part of a decade dividing his time between Hawaii, France,  and Norway the time came for Teiva to return home.  At first it was to take care of his family in dealing with the loss of Malik ‘Le petit Prince,’ but soon Teiva found that home truly is where the heart is and that Tahiti would soon start taking care of him.  Teiva’s return home stoked a new fire in him and his already stylish surfing, Stand up paddle boarding, windsurfing and kiting began to take on a strengthened casualness to his approach to the wave.  Probably brought about by his renewed realization in the preciousness of life and the pleasures found in every moment.  This same style also came out even more in Teiva’s designs for Quiksilver clothing.  Quiksilver had been one of Teiva’s sponsors for 14 years, but in the past 5 years Teiva’s trademark Polynesian stylings for Quiksilver quickly became their most successful clothing items.   Just as he had made memorable designs for the popular Naish sails, he was also furthering that same casual stylishness for Quiksilver.  In time Teiva found that  the Island of Tahiti would take care of him as well as he quickly gained sponsorships from Isuzu in Polynesia and plenty of work filming Imax movies, and other productions in and around Tahiti, both in front of and behind the lense.

Teiva’s return home and move to the end of the road; the now world famous surf break of Teahupo’o has brought Teiva to his place of bliss.  With perfect waves out his backdoor, a pristine ocean to surf, windsurf, kitesurf, paddlesurf, canoe, dolphin surf or simply swim in Teiva knew things couldn’t get any better.