Sharing the Stoke: Photographing Surf at Pleasure Point

California surf lineups are crowded. Intimidatingly so. Especially to a gal who has spent all her time sharing empty shores along the Outer Banks with only friends. I’ve learned over the past few months, though, that most of the other surfers vying for waves in the cold waters of the Pacific are pretty stoked when someone else catches a wave- assuming they didn’t snake it.

When I first took this photograph, I was mostly watching the surfer, thinking I crop in tighter on them since I didn’t have a long lens with me. After viewing the photograph on screen, though, I realized that the moment is the one happening in the corner, the raised fist cheering someone on for catching a pretty epic wave.

This is surf culture. Sure, there are agro bros and kooks breaking rules, but there is also community, support, and shared stoke.