I wasn’t even going to bring a camera. I didn’t want to. I wanted nothing to do with photography. I wanted to surf until I passed out and hang with Nico, Jill, Otis, Ollie and Dean and laugh and laugh and laugh and repeat for a week.
Then Noah Cohen texted and said he was there. Shooting. My initial feeling was one of carelessness. I didn’t care. I am a surfer and was going to the Maritimes to surf and laugh and laugh and laugh. Sorry, Junior. But Noah’s disposition is very sweet and his laughter is music to my ears so I decided to take one camera, two lenses and my water-housing to make sure I could document this friend of mine with the boyish face and quick wit. “I will shoot when I’m not surfing,” I said. And then Peter booked a ticket. Peter Devries. Canadian surfing’s messiah. Thee Messiah. But I am a surfer. “I will shoot when I’m not surfing,” I said. And there we had it. An agreement.
I surfed my brains out. I surfed for hours. But I cringed every time I saw the gents bash a lip. I thought to myself, “Why am I not shooting this?” But then I’d catch a perfect point wave and forget all about my other life as a photographer. I am a surfer and I was surfing. The boys encouraged me and gave me pointers. They called me into waves and hooted as I passed by. It was a dream come true. A surf trip where I surfed and sometimes took photos? Amazing! Thanks, boys. I think this is how I’ll approach every trip from here on out. Hey, anybody got some wax?
Surfers: Nico Manos, Dean Petty, Noah Cohen, Pete Devries, Torrey Meister and Logan MacLeenan.
Placement: Assets from this trip were used editorially by Surfer Magazine and SBC Surf.
