SURF’S UP

s u r f

’ s u p

Words: Sam Kessler

THE BEST SURF PHOTOGRAPHY TRANSPORTS US DIRECTLY TO SOME OF THE MOST THRILLING SURF SPOTS ALL AROUND THIS BIG BLUE PLANET AND WILL HAVE YOU MINDSURFING THE WAVE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT

Whether it’s the dramatic, crashing coldness of the Atlantic or the beautifully blue warmth of the Indian Ocean, where there’s waves, there are surfers. And where there are surfers, there are surf photographers.

While most of us here at Oracle Time barely know one end of a surfboard from another, we can nonetheless appreciate the sheer magnitude of the seascapes, the fleeting glimpses of that perfect curl, largely thanks to some of the magnificent photographers on Instagram.

So, we decided to ask three of the best – Seb Diaz, AKA @Surfographer, Rich Richard, AKA @ sa_rips and Ryan Craig, AKA @chachflies – to show off some of their coolest shots. If anything’s going to inspire you to get out there and give it a go (or tackle some particularly dauting surf, camera in-hand) it’s these guys.

HAYDEN RICHARDS,

@SA_RIPS

Hayden wanders the south Australian desert coast, revelling in its many moods. He is perhaps best known for combining landscapes and manmade objects with surf photography, capturing the astonishing drama, scale and the rugged beauty of this isolated coastline. Big desert ends in big cliffs that fall into big oceans prowled by big apex predators – and his following isn’t small either. Hayden counts the likes of the legendary Kelly Slater among his followers, which is the kind of endorsement that should have you following him, too.

SEB DIAZ,

@SURFOGRAPHER

For Seb, every wave is different and has its own energy, and the idea of being in the water at first light to watch the sun rise over the ocean is like a spiritual awakening. After being hit by a car and breaking his back, he fell into ocean photography, using his Nikon D500 to capture the big ocean swells on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Post-covid, his dream is to shoot Teahupo’o in Tahiti, one of the premier wave locations on the planet and one for experienced surfers only. Follow him on Instagram to see how that turns out.