I’ve always wanted to go to Tahiti to swim with the turtles in its blue waters and lounge on its white beaches, especially now with the recent bad weather in L.A. But after seeing The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D IMAX at the California Science Center for its world premiere earlier this week, my desire has been sated…somewhat. All right, watching an awesome movie in 3D isn’t quite the same as actually doing but it was still pretty cool. I’ve never seen, let alone experienced, a nature documentary on this scale before. Amazing photography that’s taken to the next level where you feel like you could reach out and touch the sharks and wipe the seawater off Kelly Slater’s weathered but still cute face.

This isn’t Avatar that we’re talking about here. You get to experience a real world of gorgeous beaches, beautiful people and intriguing wildlife with the hope someday that you’ll actually get to visit it in person. No Pandora withdrawal here.

?An IMAX theater film in 3D is the perfect vehicle to showcase how spectacular our beautiful islands are,? says Al Keahi, managing director of Tahiti Tourisme North America. ?IMAX movie theater-goers all around the world…will get to experience the beauty of Tahiti up close and personal with this film.?

The movie itself isn’t that long; it’s about 45 minutes or so and it opens to the public at the California Science Center on Friday. Admission is $8.25 but you can get a discount for $2 off with this coupon.

What was cool when I saw it was that I got to sit behind Kelly Slater, nine-time world champion, who was watching it on the IMAX screen for the first time. We were surrounded by his family as well as some of the biggest stars in surfing. Of course, I know nothing about the surfing world so didn’t know who anyone was but it was still pretty cool. We all oohed and ahhed as we “swam” through fields of exotic sealife, as we flew over the pointy peaks of Tahiti and as we watched Kelly take on scary waves and emerge from them unscathed.

This is definitely the perfect movie to see if you’re a surfing fan (breathtaking surfing cinematography) or if you just miss the warm weather. Afterward, maybe hit up Rivera or even Trader Vic’s, which are just about 3 miles away up the street on Figueroa, for a tropical cocktail fix.

California Science Center
700 State Drive
Los Angeles, California 90037 (map)
(323) 724-3623