It doesn’t matter how good an athlete was performing moments before a mishap. Sometimes all people remember you for is the mishap. German surfing competitor Tim Elter vying for glory at the Paris Olympics learned that the hard way in first Heat 1 at Teahupo’o. Elter was performing admirably, slicing a path through the pipe until the wipeout.

Unfortunately for Elter, this wasn’t an ordinary wipeout, as the unforgiving waves at Tahiti’s Teahupo’o made him fall face-first in the water. Yet, the biggest casualty of the accident was the German surfing star’s dignity. Why? Because surfing fans who caught the stream witnessed a full moon thanks to the resultant wardrobe malfunction that followed the wipeout.

Although those watching the Paris Olympics surfing stream only caught a glimpse of the blunder, it was enough for the internet. Soon, images of the unfortunate incident flooded social media as netizens on X shared it, with some posts getting over a million views. Thankfully, Tim Elter seemed to have taken the viral full-moon moment with a sporting spirit, as he even shared it on Instagram.

The German surfer has been posting Instagram stories to keep his fans informed about the schedule. However, not only did he not stop sharing stories after falling during the heats, but he even shared a clip of the full moon mishap. The surfer shared user John Portman’s story with the caption “Teahupo’o not forgiving this morning.” Yet, there’s a silver lining.

Things didn’t go Elter’s way in the first heat, finishing last in his three-man bracket with a total of 4.0. Australia’s Ethan Ewing earned 9.9 to progress to round three at the Paris Olympics. However, the German and South Africa’s Jordy Smith will get another chance in round two. Yet, for now, all the internet can talk about are full-moon jokes.

Surfing fans can’t get over the viral Paris Olympics moment

Many X users didn’t pass up the opportunity to make memes out of the situation. Art But Make It Sports compared the moment to “The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch, 1480-1505.” Although the original painting is incredibly complex and detailed, the page heightened one of the little details.

However, one of those details bizarrely resembles what happened with Elter. While Elter and the man shared a similar pose, the painting had a gigantic fish instead of a surfboard. Yet, that little detail was enough for the page to form a connection and post the image. Surprisingly, over 1.5 million people viewed the viral post, while thousands reacted, finding the comparison amusing.

Others took a crack at sarcasm and puns. “Germany not faring well in the first heat today. Here’s a live look-in on Tim Elter’s best move so far – moon diving,” commented one user. Elter’s ‘Best Wave 1’ earned him 3.00, putting him in last place. However, the German wiped out before he could post a higher score, earning 1.00. So the netizen resorted to a pun to say he didn’t find the surfer’s performance impressive.

Another user shared the meme and attempted to add to the humor in the captions. “While drowning comes to most peoples’ minds, surfing comes with a lot of unexpected risks. A lifestyle that puts you in touch with true chaos.” A clever way to say how even a fatal mishap would seem more common than what happened to the 20-year-old.

However, not everyone tried to veil their opinion with clever art references, puns, or even sarcasm. Instead, they only sounded shocked. “Crazy things happening in the surfing rn. Some guy has his bare a** out after getting wiped out,” posted the netizen in what could only be described as a direct comment. Another fan who caught the Paris Olympics livestream had a hard time believing what they saw on TV. “Bare a** was just shown on the surfing feed on Peacock,” the surfing enthusiast posted in disbelief.

However, the jokes couldn’t dampen Tim Elter’s spirit. “I’m excited for everything that’s going to happen,” Elter said before boarding his Tahiti-bound flight. While he may have wiped out dramatically on Day 1, the statement holds true. “Into round 2 tomorrow. Let’s go!!” the surfer wrote in one of his Instagram stories, clearly excited for round 2. Do you think he’ll progress further?