i always think that there is a story behind every single photo, especially the ones i take. i just don’t shoot anything, i look for something interesting, a good angle, and the moment.
July 8, 2013 started off as a normal day. i get up, expect to surf some knee high waves. head down to the beach, paddle out, and things started changing really fast. every 5 minutes, the waves started to get bigger and bigger and nobody was around. yeah, nobody predicted this swell, nobody knew about it, and it was totally off the radar. i remember counting 3 surfers out as we exchanged wave after wave. everybody so happy and living up the dream session as it was just us and the brand new overhead south swell.
i see this japanese girl surfing out at rockpiles every single day. i thought she must not like me too much because i always take japanese surfers out there and sometimes they drop in on her. but she always smiles when paddling back out. anyway, she was on the outside all alone on this beautiful day. i see a huge set coming in from the horizon. the swell swings to the left focusing all its energy on the reef. i knew it was going to be the wave of the day so i take my camera out of my pocket. turn it on, wait as i see her take off, she passes by me with a bright yellow surfboard wearing a white bikini. i only have time for 1 shot so i wait as she makes her bottom turn. i see the sun, i see the texture of the wave, and i see the beautiful diamond head background. i take the photo, look at it, and knew this was one of the best shots i’ve ever taken on the south shore of oahu.
the girl paddles back out with the biggest smile after catching that amazing wave. she didn’t know i took her photo because she was focusing on her bottom turn. i tell her “hey, i got a pretty cool photo of you!” we exchange emails as i wanted to make sure she gets it.
i finally download it last night off my camera. i was super stoked! as a photographer, it’s photos like this that make my job so rewarding. this shot is incredible for the color, the surfer, the day, and especially, THE MOMENT!
Hey Ai-san, Nice to finally get your name. Thank you for sharing all the waves with my friends out at that perfect left. i will send you the original high resolution file. Enjoy it and see you in the water! Aloha
