In the cold winter dawn, the steam from our coffee cups and condensation from our breath merged, indistinguishable.

A few elite surfers were already bobbing in the dark ocean known for its white shark activity. The storm had passed, and the forecasted perfect swells had arrived at the world-renowned surf break.

“We may get lucky,” the photographer next to me mused, “if that cloud clears, the sunrise light will be beautiful.” At first light, we found a unique vantage point away from the other photographers in the hope of capturing an image the others would miss. The heavy clouds began to dissipate as the stiff offshore wind blew, and golden light crept up on the horizon.

As the set of waves, bigger than expected, made its final approach, the world’s best surfers scrambled to reposition themselves, caught unaware by the waves’ size. A lone “Average Joe” surfer, sitting wide of the pack, found himself in the perfect position. Unsponsored and on a sticker-less surfboard, an unlikely hero for the first wave of the day.

The wave towered double overhead, as he paddled confidently into the first wave of the set - cheers erupted from the gallery of surfers in the water. Expertly setting his line down the point, he raced across the face of the cresting wave as it roared down the line across the shallow, sharp rock point. Section after section of the breaking wave reared up, threatening to end his ride prematurely. Each time, he narrowly found the unbroken wave face – just in time.

The only sound in my ears was the camera’s motor drive. 40 seconds later, the elated surfer kicked safely out of the wave. 

Ted lowered his camera and looked at me, “That’s the beauty of this place. It’s a license to dream for the average surfer. You don’t have to be a professional to get the best wave.” 

Touche, I thought quietly, hoping the same could be said for photographers. 

After a moment, I agreed. After all, where else, and in which sporting discipline, do the mere mortals get the opportunity to rub shoulders so closely with the elite?