It was early March 2023 on the North Shore of O’ahu. The day of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Surf Invitational, the most beautiful and sacred event I have ever had the privilege of attending. We had spent the last 15 hours camping out for this event in a Vintage Westfalia Surf van. Witnessing pro surfers on 50 foot waves in person is not something I imagined I would check off my bucket list.

I had been photographing the event all day, and at about 3:30 pm I hit a physical limit. My scalp was sunburned and I was so exhausted that at one point, I chose to take a nap in the shade of the trees. My friends Alex, Sienna, Ari and Zain Spectated the rest of the event nearby. Sienna grabbed me when it was time to go and it was back to the van for all of us.

We stopped at Zane’s farm to hose ourselves off and reconvene before heading home. After our outdoor shower, we all decided to hike up to the on-site water tower. After a semi-steep hike and a ladder climb to the top of the tower, we were in the prime spot. What we saw was almost mythical. As we gazed out at the ocean, we were greeted with the largest waves I had ever seen, along with a compliment of multiple whale breaches. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. “Blake snap a picture,” Sienna said. “I didn’t bring anything with me,” I replied. You see, I had spent so much of the day on my camera, I felt an urge to be completely present with my friends in this moment (hence me not bringing my phone or camera). None of them brought their phones either and we shared a laugh at the unspoken agreement we had all decided on before the hike to the mythical photo op. I remember I had this thought, “Snap it with your minds eye this time. This is supposed to stay private”. I’m glad I did, we all still talk about it.

Love,

Blake C