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In most scenarios, you imagine beautiful places where people surf, usually in a relaxed or stress-free atmosphere.

But this is no ordinary scenario on the water. The Olympic surfing competition – held far from the Seine and the scenic surroundings of Paris in the picturesque Teahupoo region of Tahiti – sees the world’s best athletes compete fiercely for one of the sport’s most coveted prizes.

Sometimes, surfing can prove to be difficult or even dangerous.

Frenchwoman Johanne Devay was surfing on the first day of competition on Saturday when she fell off her board on her first wave, hit a rough reef and cut her head.

Medical staff examine Devai’s injury after the fall.

Devay needed four stitches but returned wearing a helmet and continued her run until the end of the day before qualifying for the last 16 on day two, beating Australia’s Molly Becklum to lead the entire French surfing pack into the second round.

“Yesterday on my first wave I fell… it was really big, my head hit the reef straight away, I got four stitches,” Devay said after qualifying for the round of 16.

“They had me go through concussion protocols and the results were average, so they had me go through all of them again this morning… No trauma, so we’re happy.”

Devay wears a helmet as he rides the wave during the first round on July 27.

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So the next time you watch surfing, just remember that behind the athletic prowess and skill on the water, this can be a contact sport.