Hurley and Swatch Pro Surfing Championships

Sanoguy invited me to go up to Trestles today to check out the pro surf contest. Got up at five and then met him later at Daniels Market with all my photo gear.

I brought the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 vr but never took it out of the bag. All shots were taken with the Nikon D7200 and the Sigma 150-600mm C zoom telephoto lens.

No problem parking and a shuttle took us down to the beach. The waves started out small but got better as the day progressed.

Its kind of hard for me to take surf pictures and not think of my late friend and inspiration, Rick Griffin.

I want to get out the toothbrush and spray some more white paint on them, tweak the more psychedelic  aspects until they conform to the Pacific Vibration.

Quaffed too many shrooms at Stone Steps in the day, I suppose.

I wrote to his widow Ida last week. Ida said that she knows why we were such good friends when she looks at my photos and my love for the southwest, something Rick shared. That made me feel good.

He was one of a kind, an inspiration to so many of us.

Fun and epic day. Amazing surfers, both the men and women. Phenomenal athletes.

There were lots of people, lots of families. I shot off my tripod  at the far end of the beach, in the nursery area.

Bethany Hamilton

Coco Ho

1737 shots to cull through and ponder.

Haven't surfed since I was seventeen and was never any good. Am certainly no expert. Don't know all the current surfers. But love the waves, the water and the spray, the athleticism, aesthetics, etc. An excellent day, I feel better than I have all week. Might even go back for the final round.

Thanks, Mike.