for over 25 years of my surfing career, it has been my job as a sponsored surfer to be at the right place at the right time. i don’t think i missed a good day at Backdoor on the North Shore. the photographers would show up around 7:30 and shoot until about 11am. i would be in the water hunting for waves and wouldn’t go in until i got a gem. there would be a hundred surfers fighting for waves, about 50 photographers on the beach, and 20 in the water. the spotlight was on Backdoor/Pipeline so if you got a good wave, somebody got the shot. in this case, World famous water photographer Scott Aichner happened to pull behind me as i was getting ready to get the barrel of my life. back then, Scott was still shooting with film and not digital so we wouldn’t know who got the best shots for months. so we just waited until the magazines came out and hoped for the best. if you got published, your sponsors get exposure, then you did your job. this was one of Surfing Life Magazines 2004-2005 Winter/Best Shots. thank you Surfing Life for publishing my photo, and thank you to all my sponsors for the support. without you guys, i wouldn’t be where i am today. super grateful and will never forget it…
this wave doesn’t look 10′ but it is. to my students, look where i’m looking. Rainbow Tower right? that’s my path to getting into the barrel, and that’s the path to making it out. remember to keep calm and get ready for the best feeling of your life…
