How the incredible photo of floating Olympic surfer was taken

The photographer behind the stunning image of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina has revealed how he captured the shot.

It's a photo which could become one of the defining images of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Ironically, the image was taken nearly 10,000 miles from where the games were unfolding in Paris on a reef in French Polynesia.

There, the surfing was heating up with competitors taking to the waves to vie for the podium at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on July 29.

It depicts surfer Gabriel Medina from São Sebastião in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

Three-time world champion Medina is celebrating after catching a huge wave rolling into the beach which sent him flying through the air.

The surfer's posture is nothing like you might expect for someone flying through the air above the ocean, though.

Gabriel Medina celebrates a wave at the 2024 Olympics. (JEROME BROUILLET/AFP via Getty Images)

Instead, Medina almost looks like he is casually strolling down the street and waving to a friend, but suspended in mid-air.

Adding to the peculiar image is his surfboard mimicking his pose while attached to his left ankle by a cord, which runs almost perfectly horizontally.

The picture was snapped by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet from an observation boat.

And as with many shots like this one it takes a lot of skill, and a bit of luck.

Brouillet told The Guardian: “The conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected."

He continued: “So he [Medina] is at the back of the wave and I can’t see him and then he pops up and I took four pictures and one of them was this one.

“It was not hard to take the picture. It was more about anticipating the moment and where Gabriel will kick off the wave.”

Medina riding a barrel wave at Teahupo'o in Tahiti. (JEROME BROUILLET/AFP via Getty Images)

Brouillet also had the knowledge to anticipate that Medina often does a celebration like that after a big wave.

His camera was beaming his pictures directly to the news desk as he was taking them, giving him a shock when he checked his phone.

He said: “I was just checking my phone on the six-minute break after the shoot and I had lots of notifications on social media and I thought something is happening with this shot and it was shared on ESPN and I thought: ‘cool’.”

But despite that, Brouillet remained modest about his work, saying: “It’s very cool, it’s a nice shot and lots of people love it. It’s not really a surf photograph so it captures the attention of more people.”

He added: “I got the shot of the day, I was with six talented photographers on the boat and for sure everyone will forget about it next week. Tomorrow won’t be any different.”