Saltwater Therapy

Greatest Hits #5991

During my four years of undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, I would check the surf at It’s Beach whenever I found myself some free time before class or after class. My buddy Sammy Garcia was there almost every day, sunrise and sunset. There was no webcam on the spot so the only way to check it was to drive down, sometimes wait 20 minutes for parking. Most of the time, it was a skunk. 

I remember we were planning on shooting sunrise this one particular day. Sammy and I had a hunch that the sunrise was going to be good the night before. We met up around 4am that morning. The main parking lot wasn’t open yet so we had to park on the street. When we got out of our cars, we saw the pre burn starting. The altocumulus clouds was already glowing faintly pink, indicating intense sunrise colors. We knew we had to get in the water ASAP. 

After setting up our cameras and putting on our wetsuits as fast as we could, we ran down to the beach and jumped in the the cold water. I remember seeing the first set of the day coming through immediately. I licked the port, dipped the camera, and positioned myself in the break zone. After the first wave passed I screamed in joy at how perfect the barrel was. I didn’t even have to look at the camera review image, I knew it was a banger. For some reason, the first wave is always the best. 

I was surprised on how it came out so sharp with the sunrise reflection, given it was still pre-dawn with minimal day light. The dark teal water in contrast with the orange glow never ceases to mesmerize me. It was one of the best mornings I’ve ever had at this spot, or ever. This was Santa Cruz, in all it’s glory.

March 13, 2015 | Behind The Shot