OCTOBER 2023.

Cornwall, UK.

Arriving in the early hours the air was full of anticipation. A thick sea fog interrupted our vision as we looked out to see what was lurking over at the main break. We could only hear the uproar of crashing sets. People slowly started to appear out of the shadows of first light. Photographers lined up and levelled off their tripods. We waited for the ambient light to unveil the line-up and sure enough we could see some sizeable sets coming through the back. Two surfers jumped off the rocks and paddled out, which put the sheer size into perspective.

Elliott and I looked at each other and said “let’s send it”. Buzzing, we both ran to grab our wetsuits and cameras. Fuelled by adrenaline we waited for the right moment between the waves colliding with the pier. Fins on and cameras in hand, we leapt into the water. The tide was high and a lot of water was being moved around. We made a break for the channel, kicking hard to avoid the whirlpools within the harbour. The closer we swam to the line-up, the more our jaws dropped and faces were lit with excitement. It was big… 

The line-up was ecstatic. There was a brave crew out there sharing the liveliness. I remember Jack Johns sitting deep and taking off on a major slab, he was so vocal on his rides and his energy was infectious. Woody New navigated himself into a huge cave which detonated his board into pieces, which he had only just won from Down The Line’s Warriors of Winter competition! Tom Crowe sent it on a mammoth wave and Jayce Robinson manoeuvred himself into a stand up tube.

I decided to shoot a roll of Fuji 200 on my old Motor Marine underwater 35mm film camera. The physical process of shooting film, especially in the water, is so rewarding and it teaches you to slow down your photographic thought process which really added to how special this morning became.

Three hours of thrill swimming later we were back on the reassuring harbour concrete, windswept and stoked!