Surfing @ Westport, WA

[BradM]

Was out looking for birds over the weekend but spent more time shooting those playing in the water.

First shot was from on Friday, a warm but dark and wet rainy day. I used the 500mm f/4 and 1.4x.

The rest of the shots from Sunday where the day was bright, cold and I was using the 400mm f/4 DO with a 1.4x behind it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/Oct09surfer2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/SurfNov.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/SurfNov3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/SurfNov2.jpg

[J.Napier]

Brad
Gotta say 4 then 3 and then #1, that I like the best here, that water has to be cold. You wouldnt catch me in it even durring the summer. Hopefully you guys wont be surfing in the river water up there this year. I do alot of work up at Ft Lewis and luckily I got stranded down here and not up there last time it flooded.

[Jaewhy]

nice capture in #3. would like to see more of the wave on left side of frame.
did #3 come from a sequence and did he make the barrel? if so, curious to see next couple of frames.
nice composition on 4th shot.

[Mark II]

Beautiful clarity!

[HighPixel]

Nice series..People don't realize that Westport has some of the best surfing on the Pacific Coast.
Ron

[Jaewhy]

People don't realize that Westport has some of the best surfing on the Pacific Coast.
Ron

bold statement! :lol:

[firedogg]

Nice series of images. Any chance you headed out for the 28 footers breaking this last weekend with the surge that flooded the downtown area?

[BradM]

I was out there Saturday, and there was was some big water rolling in. At the point south of the Observation tower running into Half Moon, the waves were meeting and probably breaking the 35' height.

This shot of the navigation/weather towers show about 22' water breaking over the shorter of the two, I saw other waves breaking the to the top of the taller tower.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/bigwaves.jpg

Here is a long shot from Half Moon to the obs tower, again this wasn't the largest breaking on the jetty just a "normal" one for the mid morning.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/bigwave2.jpg

But the reason I grabbed the 1D3 and 400mm DO was two guys that thought the water was good enough to try to catch a ride on. Myself and a regular surfer out there thought these guys must be very good or very new at surfing.

The shot below was the usual look of them trying to break outside and find a wave, we rapidly decided very new guys and decided if they weren't careful they would be shortly in over their heads. :rolleyes:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/surfbigwave1.jpg

They did make it over the breaking water and sat there for sometime without actually being able to catch a ride, the waves were just breaking too quick and short, with some sets the following wave breaking over the preceding wave. Very rough water.

More than once each was looking like below, just being pummeled along the bottom. There was concern on the beach by a number of of guys wondering if they should gear up and try to pull these guys out.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/surfbigwave3.jpg

However after a set of waves that just wouldn't quit breaking and they just keep getting rolled, they packed it up and headed back to the beach.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/Bradklr/surfbigwaves2.jpg

I head out there very often and shoot these folks for fun (and profit) and this was the first time I thought I was going to watch at least one of these guys drown, thankfully that wasn't the case. Ended up being just another look at stupid human tricks.

[VaultBoxPictures]

I love the 4th shot. Looks cold haha

[prcrstn8]

They did make it over the breaking water and sat there for sometime without actually being able to catch a rideor maybe they finally realized "what the f*** are we doing out here, this is insane!"

Don't ask how I know that.

[Binning]

I love the shots. 3 and 4 are intense.

[firedogg]

Thanks for showing those Brad. I had wanted to get there for the show, but had other things lined up to shoot.

[HighPixel]

bold statement! :lol:
Let me rephrase that...It's one of the best kept secrets on the West Coast people don't know about...