Top Spin
Hookipa Point, Maui North Shore
On a recent visit to Maui, I decided to check out the big wave surfing spot on the north shore that the locals call "Jaws". When winter storms hit, the shallow reefs create big, dangerous breaks, but on this day the ocean was fairly calm, so the waves were just "normal". Even so, many of the surfers were quite good and able to put on a show. This young fellow was fun to watch as he went through his repertoire of tricky turns and maneuvers. He was several hundred yards away from my viewpoint on the bluff above the beach, so I used a long lens with a tripod and a fast shutter speed to minimize blur. I also used high speed continuous shooting to increase my chances of catching the "right" moment. I liked this particular shot as it captures a moment of peak action and conveys the surfer's acrobatic grace and skill.