On the cover: Kauli Vaast at Teahupo’o by Ben Thouard
I wait patiently for moments like this all year. It hadn’t rained for days, so the river wasn’t running brown and the ocean was clear. There wasn’t one cloud in the sky and no wind, so the surface of the water was glassy and allowed me to see through the wave really well. The swell was eight-foot at 18 seconds, which is pretty solid. Usually too big to shoot underwater but because the swell had a big period it was slow, which meant there was a lot of time in between sets for the white water to disappear and the particles to fall to the bottom. There are so many factors that must line up to be able to capture photos like that. Kauli is one of the best surfers out there and we’ve been shooting together for years, so I’m stoked to have shot this one of him.
Click the link above to hear more from Ben on his cover shot.
