Storm Surfers: The Whale's Mouth

In the belly of the beast, under the whale's mouth. This day was a wild one. A turbulent day at a dangerous surf spot where strong swells explode over a shallow slab reef break. I decided to venture out and test myself. However, after two waves, the swell grew rapidly and the reef became visible beneath, prompting me to exercise caution and stay within my limits.

Upon returning to land, I witnessed a surfer being towed into the larger waves via jetski. As I filmed the scene with my drone, a violent storm approached, the sky putting on a spectacular display. Despite the gale force winds, my drone handled well and I captured some incredible footage. It was an intense moment to be less than 1 meter off the water surface with the drone, avoiding the oncoming waves, whilst a high velocity storm cell blew in from the south.

There was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to shoot something epic so I braved the conditions and was able to capture some amazing moments. This piece is a composite image that harnesses the feeling of what I experienced this day in, and above the ocean. The surfer captured via drone and the sky captured using my handheld camera, manually stitched to create wave theatre.