David Pu'u

Average Day In The Life
There are none. They all differ, depending on where and what and who I am shooting, but I have my ideal dream days.

Most Memorable Session
I wake early. All my cameras and housings have been cleaned, prepped, and loaded by my assistant, Brian Nevins. We walk from the house on the cliff at Waimea and shoot a few long-lens frames of the shore break as the first golden rays of dawn filter down the valley, lighting the cataclysm before us.
Then I give Brian the long lens and hop out into the shore pound and shoot for a few hours, watching people get swept by and occasionally rescued by lifeguards. I sit in a few huge ones and dodge bombs and surge and generally just have a great time playing amid the chaos. Quick late breakfast after.
Swim out at Pipe midday as the swell begins to fade. Dodge bombs and get inside position on a few of my pals as they ride deep. Watch Hank and some of the other slower guys get washed. Laugh nervously, hoping I am not next. Late lunch.
Scott Aichner and I stand side-by-side on the beach at Backdoor/OTW, a cadre of 100 long-lens shooters lined up behind us. Scott giggles and says, ‘Well, let’s go f--- their day up.’
We appear in every frame those 100 fat guys on the beach shoot. Perfect day. I shot four rolls from the water. Funny thing is, the perfect day sort of is the average good day on the North Shore.

Grey Lockwood

Average Day In The Life
It usually starts with a five a.m. surf check; I’ve normally got a crew lined up the night before to go shoot with. Depending on swell direction, we can end up driving anywhere from two to 50 miles to find the right lighting and wind direction.
Usually we’ll shoot for about three hours. Then it’s time to actually start my real day, which consists of a full-time job, full-time school, and actually trying to pay the bills. After work, it’s off to go shoot with whoever is motivated to get out there for a little evening session.

Most Memorable Session
I was north of Point Conception with Adam Lambert and Andrew Bennett. We got in the water at about seven a.m., and the waves were pretty fun, but nothing special. I was shooting with my 70-200mm from the water, sitting on a bodyboard in the middle of a kelp bed.
Then the sun came out and the waves went from about two feet to six feet in a matter of minutes, and there was nobody around for miles. The way the sunshine was reflecting up into the barrels was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Wave after wave, both groms were paddling into these perfect A-frames and getting so barreled that I started to question whether or not I was dreaming.
I think I was more excited than they were, letting out all kinds of hoots and hollers after each wave, knowing that we were going home with some photos that day. We spent the middle of the day surfing down the beach and then another evening session with the waves getting better with every set.
I was supposed to be home for my girlfriend’s birthday party at seven p.m., and it’s safe to say that that didn’t happen.

Branden Aroyan

Average Day In The Life
Wake up with a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee, walk the dog, check the surf, and plan the day accordingly. I usually start the day working on my computer, e-mailing and designing projects.
The past six months have mostly been consumed by creating my new T-shirt line-- Low Tide Rising — designing, coordinating the production, and creating promotional material. Working with my wife has turned into a team project and kept the creative ideas flowing.
Photo shoot: Surf check the night before will determine where to go, then we’ll confirm a meeting place and time. Usually the shoot is with only one or two people and tends to be where it’s a little less crowded. Sometimes when it’s an evening shoot, we’ll arrive early and surf all day.

Most Memorable Session
A friend and I had surfed epic waves all day for a couple of days all week long and were finally surfed out and exhausted. I grabbed my camera to record the phenomenon. Bodysurfing into a barrel and watching the lip light up around me. The wave stayed open and round as the light reflected all sorts of dimensions. Getting barreled is like no other place on Earth.

Will Russ

Average Day In The Life
To get warmed up, I usually try to shoot sunrises. On a good day of surf, I try to save most of my energy for sunset and night shooting.
After shooting, I usually get lunch and head home to edit my shots. Most days I will do some schoolwork or something in the afternoons. Mainly just picture editing. When the light starts to get good, I usually head back to the beach and shoot until I can’t swim anymore or until I run out of shots.

Most Memorable Session
Recently Chadd Konig called and said he was heading to Rincon with Adam Lambert and Spencer Regan. We met in the parking lot about an hour or so before sunset.
The waves didn’t look very fun — small and choppy. We sat around for a while, trying to get psyched. Finally Chadd grabbed his wetsuit and said, ‘I’m going out.’
We were on the verge of going home when Chadd caught a nice wave, about chest-high. Three minutes later, we were all paddling out. As the light improved, so did the waves: nice, clean, chest-high sets started rolling in.
The vibe in the water was great. Even though the surf wasn’t exactly epic, everyone was having fun. Spencer was tearing some tops off. Adam was trying back flips. Chadd was slashing. And another friend of theirs, Mike Walters, was killing it.
Whenever someone caught a wave, everyone would cheer when my flash went off. Everyone was so stoked. We stayed out until almost 10 p.m.
It’s times like these that make me stoked to do what we do.