Nelly's Magic Moments Podcast
Dave “Nelly” Nelson is a globally published veteran surf and skate photographer with countless magazine covers and spreads to his name. After spending years as a senior photographer at TransWorld Surf Magazine, Dave now shoots freelance for domestic and international publications.
Major action sports brands such as Vans, O’Neill, Fox, and Reef commonly contract Dave to shoot on location for trips locally and abroad.
As one of the best action water photographers in the world, he is usually in the right place at the right time to produce “the goods”. Dave’s relationships and mutual respect with some of the most elite athletes in the world give him access to the best action at the best spots.
Dave’s dedication to the sports of surfing and skateboarding is matched by his values as a person. A true family man, Dave cares about is daughter and wife as much as he cares for his community of Santa Cruz. A consummate role model for young athletes coming out of his hometown, Dave has helped pave the way for some of the best young talent in Nor Cal.
Nelly's Magic Moments Podcast
Episode 12: Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Surf's up in this thrilling episode featuring the incredibly talented Ryan "Chachi" Craig, a Santa Cruz native who's made a name for himself in the world of surf photography. Chachi shares his journey from his unconventional beginnings to becoming a renowned figure in capturing the vibrant essence of surf culture. Our friendship and professional collaboration form the backdrop to this engaging discussion, where we explore how diverse photographic styles can beautifully complement one another. Listeners will gain insights into Chachi's unique approach to photography, particularly in the realms of lifestyle and portraiture.
Photography enthusiasts are in for a treat as we shine a light on the intricacies of surf photography. It's not just about the waves; it's about the magic of lighting and composition that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. We take you behind the lens, discussing the challenges of capturing the perfect shot in various surf locations and the creative decisions that shape a photograph. From the unpredictable waves of France and Ireland to the adrenaline-pumping experience at Pipeline, this episode is a testament to resilience and creativity in the pursuit of capturing stunning images.<br><br>As we navigate through the thrilling and sometimes perilous world of surf photography, we share personal anecdotes that highlight both the risks and rewards of the craft. A memorable tale from Pipeline in 2002 underscores the dedication required to secure that perfect shot, even when faced with danger. Our camaraderie is evident in our playful wager on magazine cover features, adding a touch of humor to our intense passion for photography. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a curious onlooker, prepare to be inspired by stories of adventure and the relentless pursuit of beauty in the world of surf photography.
this is nelly's magic moments podcast.
Speaker 2:North shore invitational 2025 yes, uh no doug we're here on the north shore it's a sweet lineup today, nelly it's a sweet lineup, man, and I'm super stoked to have one of my good friends and you know, when you talk about Santa Cruz photography, the roots run deep and I'd have to say honestly, my favorite photographer in Santa Cruz or from Santa Cruz would be this guy right here, ryan Chachi Craig.
Speaker 1:Here he is.
Speaker 2:Some amazing images coming out of this guy, not just this year, but in many, many past years as well.
Speaker 3:So welcome to the show. You're making me blush, chachi.
Speaker 2:Thanks brother.
Speaker 3:That's the truth. That's huge praise.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. I got to watch a couple years ago. I remember walking up to your room and checking out some of your photos. I was like, damn, what have I been doing? It was just such another level and you've helped me out a lot in the last 10 years, with some of your knowledge too.
Speaker 3:I'm still waiting for our master class in the old computer color correcting world. Let's go.
Speaker 1:Let's streamline it. Baby. I'm here, here we go. Let's do it right now.
Speaker 2:Let's go right now I said we're going to try to keep it to 30 minutes. Josh, I'm perfectly happy with my color correcting. Okay, let me rephrase Workflow, workflow, workflow.
Speaker 1:And so that's that. And for the listeners of the podcast, the way we kind of want to frame that is like kind of flip it to the other side. It's like so you coming in, clearly, you know where did you meet Nelly? Did you know of Nelly?
Speaker 3:Or how did that kind of go down? As far as your evolution as a photographer, um, I couldn't tell you where I met Nelly, but uh, I mean I saw him in Santa Cruz. Of course, growing up I was pretty removed from the photography game, though Um, wouldn't say like during the heyday, cause that sounds kind of weird but like, definitely, when everyone talks about the surf world in a certain way back in the late 2000s, maybe something along those lines, like I barely had started. So yeah, um, I I definitely knew of nelly, saw nelly here and there, but was on a completely different program at that point in my life and and, uh, kind of wish I wasn't.
Speaker 3:It would have been cool to maybe do what what cory hansen did or something like that. And kind of wish I wasn't. It would have been cool to maybe do what Corey Hansen did or something like that and kind of absorb a lot of knowledge. But yeah, that wasn't my route and fuck, I don't really know when it was that we actually became friends. You might know my memories, as we'll probably be able to tell in this podcast.
Speaker 2:I mean, I remember you when you were young and it seems like you've been shooting a lot longer than that to me yeah, I I was shooting, I was, I was dabbling, I was dabbling, I just I guess it was.
Speaker 3:It was on the the bug program, like I was shooting. I grew up bodyboarding and that's a weird thing from california, yeah, I mean it's kind of the minority in general but especially, like in santa cruz, I was like 10 of us so shot some empty ways and was doing all that stuff um for a little bit. But uh, it was a slow transition and so you are.
Speaker 1:You one of those kids, had a camera in your hand at five years old.
Speaker 3:This is gonna be my life, or you're saying it came later like the exact opposite of that, okay, yeah, yeah, like, um, I mean pre-cell phones, so you're not dabbling with your cell phone taking photos of everything. I sure I shot with a disposable camera here and there, like just randomly, if someone had one. I had a couple of friends that shot photos when we were in high school and I thought that was interesting, but not surf, and I didn't. I didn't dabble at all until um my twenties.
Speaker 1:Singular moment Was there there's always a call that books called the tipping point was a singular moment where you're like, fuck, that's pretty good photo. Or somebody told you, fuck, that's a pretty good photo. Was there a moment where you're like I think I'm good at this, or was it?
Speaker 3:not a defining moment, yeah, but I, yeah, I, I, I. When I finally got into it a bit, it which was at cabrillo college, um, and enjoyed a lot of the process and and and procedures with it, um, I again not surf related stuff, but I was.
Speaker 2:You know, some people told me I had a good eye, like compositionally and stuff I've always had a like crazy eye for you know, lifestyles, portraits behind the scenes and pulled back shots and, like you've really had a great variation to your photos as far back as I can remember and uh, that's something I wasn't really good at. I shot a lot of really close-up action with my 600 and a lot of you know, flash photography and and fisheye stuff was my specialty and so I.
Speaker 2:whenever it's a patrick tre's or a Chachi, I always notice because they're better at what I want to be good at they're already good at you know what I mean, and and uh, so much respect to that and um.
Speaker 3:Well, I feel like that's a grass is always greener type thing, cause it's like you look to whatever someone else's strengths are, you know like I, you know everyone kind of, I think, naturally kind of gravitates towards, like what they don't do well, as like, oh what, that guy's insane Cause he does this and I suck at it, or whatever, and like, so you could flip flop that exact same thing.
Speaker 3:And, and I mean I don't need to for those of you who don't know, nelly's flash photography was like revolutionary, that'd probably be the right word Um and so that you know you're pretty untouchable in that area. But just fish eye stuff and and network of surfers and all these little things that you notice other people doing, when you know that's something you don't do well yeah so you kind of take take from that my thought on this from like a layman standpoint.
Speaker 1:Looking into it, it's like over the broad arch of all of it is is I was everything when technology was lower. Photography like, let's say, the beginnings. Um, your eye for way you frame it, the way you see the world was, was of utmost importance, and I'm not saying that everyone away. But technology went crazy. Technology not only just in your industry but on our phones and the ability to do things that it kind of got saturated a little bit in in a weird circular way, with everybody having access to amazing technology. The eye is important again, like the beginning, it's everything now and I'm not saying it ever wasn't, because clearly you can't be a fucking photographer if you don't have a good eye for it. But there was a time where the world over the last 15 years got saturated with 4k, pretty crispy shit from people's phones and in 10 second increments. All the time.
Speaker 2:It's I now right, it's a weird perspective, cause it's actually gone 360 degrees. You know what I mean. Back in the day we were searching for the shot. The shot was for the cover, you know what I mean? Or the two page spreads and it was. Do your searching for?
Speaker 2:the shot right Then it became the internet game of quantity, not quality anymore. And now it's gone full circle again. And now it's gone back to quality, and you know, that's why I've noticed in the last five, six, seven years how good chachi has gotten. Yeah, at he does. If you look at a group of his photos from a month on the North Shore, you will see drone shots with rainbows. You will see close-up shots of the reef at Pipeline. You'll see underwater photography. You'll see some of the best portraits you've ever seen.
Speaker 2:You will see rainbows from all different angles, you know I do love a good room, anyway, you do and also some psycho sessions at off the wall where it's like nobody's swimming off the wall when it's 10 to 12 feet except chach, and maybe you know an occasional, whatever russo or or whoever brent brent bealman will definitely swim anything, but there's not many guys that swim that anymore.
Speaker 2:And uh, anyway, not trying to brown nose your photography, I'm just being super honest. It's like I went over and looked at a batch of your photos and I've seen multiple since then, but I was just blown away at, like, the quality and and uh, I know it's not.
Speaker 1:I know it's not the photographer's game necessarily, but I'd love to kind of get into uh, as much as you can without giving away like trade secrets. But I think I'm more through the world of the Chach files in the magazine, where you kind of have definitely different than what you're doing in a lot of the rest of of of the world right now. Um, but I'm just curious, like when you land somewhere and you're doing it, you accumulate the assets, but is there like an emotional moment before? It's like, is it just your eye looking around your environment first? What comes first, like when you, when you do you immerse yourself first or you just start taking photos of everything that you know? Can you speak to that?
Speaker 3:um, I guess it depends on where I am. Yeah, um, potentially how much editing I have to do.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I'm yeah I'm like pretty baffled at how much time I need to spend on my computer and so maybe I'm not picking up the camera, but mostly it's um, I think it's mostly the environment that you know. The conditions turn on. If we're talking about surf specifically, if the waves are good, you're going to shoot the light and waves are good, you're like you're freaking out. Yeah, at least I am. I'm a big light snob. Love some puffy clouds. Yeah, doesn't have to be warm, I'm not really concerned with any of that, but crisp light's a big thing. Um, obviously, when the waves are good, but lighting what I would say would even take precedence.
Speaker 3:You get a good surfer in bad waves. With good light you'll make good photos. Um, it was good this morning. I didn't take a single good photo, I feel like because it just not because the light, but like, just right, just good waves don't necessarily translate to good photos unless you're trying to shoot empty waves.
Speaker 3:Um, that's where the surfer comes in and positioning a lot of stuff. And um, yeah, if I'm going somewhere where I'm not shooting surf, generally have a camera with me. More I wouldn't say at all times, but I try to yeah um, and occasionally I'll.
Speaker 3:What I'd like to do more is like kind of game plan themes. I'm not very I've. I'm actually pretty um, I don't know how you would describe my photography, but there's not really like a cohesiveness to it. Like I do pride myself on being like well-rounded, like nelly was kind enough to mention, and like that's been a massive kind of priority, and how I choose to invest like time and what angle or lens or, or you know, water or land options is like okay, I've already shot this. Like let's try and shoot something different. Shot that angle enough. Like I, I walk, at least when I'm on land. I walk around all the time like I hardly stay in the same spot. I've never owned like a big 600, so I've never really been.
Speaker 3:I didn't grow up in that style where you like kind of are selling to brands and it needs to be brand forward and brand friendly and frontlet and kind of like flame, larry, flame, more style photography which was like a massive group of people, like kind of all had a frontlet action all day.
Speaker 3:Logos, yeah which was a great, which is, I mean, they're all. That's a way to shoot as well, um, but yeah, so I guess, um, I'm a bit all over the place. That was my point. Like and I don't know, there's a million ways you could probably like market yourself and like with a book in a certain way, but I haven't really been able to pinpoint. Like. I've had a few people over the over the last few years be like you got to do a book and I'm just like I don't even know like what the theme would be, like chaos, randomness, it is. I is, I think, I think it's more.
Speaker 1:Here's my, and I can tell you my impression as a editor of your stuff is like in the way I describe it to other people. The relationship is in. The first one is the low hanging fruit of what is it your, your style when you're out there, as a combination of national geographic surfers, journal and bone appetit and I mean that in the most complimentary way that I can get basically, you know, a Tahiti shot with them. Uh, basically, you know, uh, uh, you know working in a fish market that could go in a food magazine, cause there's a caretaking to the colors and the staging and the centering of it. You're in the water, you know taking. You know, like you know, world renowned surf photography and then some of the way you see the landscapes of the world is the national geographic side of it.
Speaker 1:But I gotta be honest with you. The number one thing that comes to my head most of the time when I'm looking at your photography is I don't know. I feel like there's somebody that's trying, searching for an answer, and it's a weird thing to say. But you're, you're out there looking at everything's a candidate for, like, you know everything you see, whether you're in Ireland or whether you're in Hawaii. Um, there's kind of a there's kind of a longing in your photography of, like you know, the just accumulation of all these images and and I I kind of get the feeling you're trying to figure it all out.
Speaker 2:Well, that stuff is important. But the raddest thing about Chachi's photography is he's always true to himself. You know what? I mean and he, he gets his psyched on a big barrel of shindra on his buddy who just rushes waves around the world, as he does on a huge off the wall pit yeah or a massive pipeline wave yeah and when you're true to yourself, it all comes. It all comes out in your book right, yeah, again, that's probably true right, because you don't necessarily.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is the theme. The theme is is that you've been true to yourself and your photography and you're not trying to brown nose some company or you know yeah, it makes the paychecks a little smaller when you're not brown those companies. But you seem to be doing pretty good.
Speaker 3:Uh, it's all relative, I think so. But circling back to what you had asked, like, yeah, like approaching a trip, I guess you know. Um it, I, I, I feel like, when it's non-surf stuff, a couple times I've tried to like think of a way of shooting, something like a. Give an example of like shooting when I was over in thailand like shooting with one lens from like a coffee table, like the whole day and just like a 24 hour thing of like what I see at that table people that's random animals like that's right changing the clouds.
Speaker 3:I don't know didn't do it, no, but that's like.
Speaker 2:But yeah, that that was an idea you know thing well, there's a lot of things like that that I kind of go into trips with and then the trips unfold the way they unfold.
Speaker 3:So, um, would have been a good window here if I had projects like that over the last couple weeks because it's been windy. But yeah, I found myself kind of catching up on old work and these last couple days been nice and buttery though huh yeah, the forecast looks amazing.
Speaker 1:We're all excited on the nerd end of it, because it's always in this kind of like, this pocket of a conversation like like, what are you using right now? What's the new? New? What cameras? What's what's the? Well, I just broke my drone yesterday, so you did story hit. Tell it there's no story.
Speaker 3:I poured a glass of water on it on accident. Oh, I thought it was way better in my, in my room chachi.
Speaker 1:I thought it was way better than that. No, it's, uh, it's pretty bad, it's pretty bad.
Speaker 2:Well, garen's story was pretty good last year, where he took off his drone and it just started going up and then it wouldn't stop going up and all of a sudden it was above the clouds, looking through the clouds at pipelines and it just never came down.
Speaker 3:It's still up there somewhere I would have been shitting bricks at that thing when it came down on someone's house and like punched a hole through it.
Speaker 1:And then they would have looked up the serial number and they're like excuse me, sir, you're going to jail I just don't think that of all the I like think that every even technology objects have a life force in a thought process. I guarantee that's not the way your drone thought it was going to go out with all the places it's been To be fair the thing was pretty beat up.
Speaker 3:I'm not brokenhearted about it. The only thing that's annoying is that, for whatever reason, dji the replacement program, which is normally two to three days, is all fucked up for some. I don't know. Some parts from China aren't allowed here in a certain time frame, so it's a whole other story.
Speaker 1:Trump tariffs. Quite possibly other story trump tariffs quite possibly, um, but yeah, so so we'll.
Speaker 3:We got to get that, um, but like camera of choice right now is that I've had the same camera, for I don't know if this is weird or not weird I mean definitely not if you shoot film, but digital. I feel like people at least for a long time I felt like people were upgrading as soon as they had the opportunity assuming they had the money, yeah, um, I've been shooting with the same camera now for almost five years the canon Canon R5.
Speaker 3:I got it right when it came out. I don't know how much I loved it right when it came out, just because mirrorless was real weird with your eye. I don't need to go into that, but it's like a different style of camera altogether and the shooting, the way that you're able to compose photos, is a little different. Okay, it's like looking at your iPhone up close. It's a digital representation as opposed to a mirror that is actually reflecting real life. Okay, so that's kind of odd to get used to. It has its pros and cons, um, but that camera, in my opinion, is still as good as you need.
Speaker 2:Um, really, the advancements are more in um video, and I don't shoot really any video yeah so you have to tell me, show me a couple tricks shots, because I got the r5 as well you do yeah you have that camera dialed yeah, I got it pre-dialed.
Speaker 3:Actually made a video for someone else on all the settings. I can just forward that to you. That's pretty for me, it works.
Speaker 2:For me, it works yeah, then you got your dummies it's.
Speaker 3:It was for another tap photographer, so no, but but it's.
Speaker 1:But it's straightforward good, yeah, I thought. I think naively. I would have thought you're always be chasing a new camera. It's just for some reason. It's just on the outside looking and not knowing that business.
Speaker 3:It's two parts. It's um the housing guy that I use. He doesn't make housings anymore.
Speaker 3:Um and same with the guy you nearly used to use and like that that whole there's a huge market for people that make really nice water housings, but it seems like the prerequisite for that is that you're kind of a nightmare to work with. Yeah, that's why half these guys have. They make great products and they just get out of it for one reason or another. Um, and so, yeah, I don't want to get a new setup for all that stuff, like right now I have two for my r5, two housings and then a backup one for a different camera, and I have two r5s and that way you kind of I don't know it's a good camera.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just came out with the r5, uh, mark ii, and I don't foresee myself getting it right so we'll see this one's good for a bit yeah, that's the main thing is like, once you have water housings and separate ports for different lenses and stuff, you switch camera bodies and you're you're into 10 grand.
Speaker 3:You know I mean really oh yeah, yeah, it's super expensive, and then the resale on it's like not at all. So it's not like you're like a car.
Speaker 1:You drive rough a lot.
Speaker 3:It doesn't have the value it's like a car, unless you're driving a toyota over here. And then you bought it in 1982 for 12 and you sold it this year for 15 grand.
Speaker 2:It's also like a car, but it's not because, like he said, it's not easy to get a water housing and the guy will tell you two weeks it'll be done and a month and a half later you drive down there to his house and he's like only a month and a half together yeah, five months sometimes you know I mean, and there's horror stories it's pretty bad.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's actually. I mean so there's yeah, there's other brands on the market, but they just um. I'm sure they're great.
Speaker 2:I like what I have yeah so let's get into what makes chachi tick like uh oh shit, I'm already sweating, so figuratively, your last trip was ireland, or what was your last trip?
Speaker 3:um, yes, uh, my last. Technically I came from portugal last, but I was in europe. Yeah, I did a little stint in europe and ireland was a big chunk of that.
Speaker 2:How was that? Did you score?
Speaker 3:there was moments. It's pretty, it's pretty, it's pretty tricky over in that part of the world, which is fine. Yeah, a lot of weather. I was over in France first for 10 days and nine of the days it was pretty bad. One day was good. And then I was in Ireland for two months and I'd say we got maybe 10 days. Yeah, so it's pretty, but that doesn't mean I'm not shooting. I understand, but like 10 days where you're like holy shit. These are the days, like the days you go there for yeah.
Speaker 2:But that place is pretty fickle, slabbing, spitting left.
Speaker 3:Spitting left some big rights. Yeah, a lot of waves there, a lot of variety I did.
Speaker 2:Tell me about it. Did you get spit out of one?
Speaker 3:I got some good ways. I got barreled on the boogie board. You hear that everyone On the boogie board.
Speaker 2:You surf too.
Speaker 3:I do surf. I do. I surf pretty below average Average to below average Depends on the board. On a standard comp style board these guys ride. I pretty much sink it, but like a little I mean I can ride like a board with any volume I can ride. Okay, depends on the wave. Honestly, it depends on the wave. But over there there was a couple of fun days of this little beach break they had and then the rest of it's all bug, it's all heavy.
Speaker 1:I found I learned something new this week. Yeah, I learned something new this week. It's my favorite wave in the world. Yeah, standing, you know, on the like there's equity here on the north shore with boogie boarding some, some, it just seems I wouldn't say here.
Speaker 3:There's places, there's plenty of places in the world where there's like um, it's not as divided or whatever like santa cruz sort of yeah, there's, there's just no one that books. It depends on the waves, so like yeah the places that have really crazy waves and pretty much all the crazy waves in the world, like mostly slabs I'm referring to yeah not like long point breaks, but like crazy kind of like debatably rideable waves yeah almost always are pioneered by bugs, and most guys most guys, certainly not all guys like give it up for those types of body wars yeah surfers at the highest level that want to ride those same slabs.
Speaker 3:they're not like fuck this guy, you know whatever. Yeah, I can think of one area in the world Like Australia, australia.
Speaker 2:Kobe those guys.
Speaker 3:That was that's. I don't quite get that dynamic but but like for in a great example would be like Ireland, like it's probably three quarters body boarders to surfers.
Speaker 1:Interesting.
Speaker 3:And they're all friends and there's no like.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You wouldn't get any more respect. If you like, ride a surfboard than you would a bug.
Speaker 2:Like not between them. How about chokes? You got some bombs at chokes, like how heavy is that? Wave to boogie board?
Speaker 3:I'm a first reef only type of guy. Yeah, I don't know, I'm really conflicted out there. Whenever it's good, I shoot, so, um, I try to get waves out there when I can and mostly when it's like really west I forget who it was, maybe to hooray, he was like telling me he's like you know, this is a makeable wave, right, because I would just pull in the ones that like stretch, yeah, so far down the line and I'm just like like I can fall pretty good, going left, so like four to six foot on the inside ledge, but like when it's 210 degrees or more west, so like I remember going out there one day when I was like it's just thick right, yeah, yeah, it just like it kind of.
Speaker 3:It's almost it reminds me more of like a beach break or not a beach break, like a shore break, almost the way it kind of cups, like it comes in at an angle and like it's not this wave that's drawn out where you're trying to see like where it's going to go square. It's like the whole thing's like kind of almost going backwards, not like a standing wave, but like it's going against the grain and you're like, okay, this thing's cupping out on the reef like because I just grew up scooping it, which is like a shore break, essentially in santa cruz, and so you get really good at like that style of of bodyboarding.
Speaker 3:I wasn't like riding waves that you're on for 10 seconds trying to figure out like where it's going to do its thing, and and and or like it's like wedges and big shoreies are kind of like all, I'm decent at yeah yeah, but chokes is amazing.
Speaker 3:It's like those types of waves, laughs. I I love them all. But I definitely, but I definitely I'd like to get an eight footer or something you know, maybe one day I'd like to like on paper I'd like to. And if I'm there for like a couple of weeks I get like more familiar. But it's like starting from scratch. Almost every time you go over there, you don't see it for a year. Then you go over there and then you're like holy shit, it's feels like even it's not as shallow as it looks, but it's so clear that it feels like it's dry yeah like you're dropping into the wave and you're like looking at the reef and you're like, oh my God.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So it takes a little bit to like kind of turn off the fear and just like get comfortable again and then like again when it's good, when it's eight foot, I normally like just shoot. It's so crowded like you can find windows. Don't get me wrong. Out of all the waves in the world, I feel like out of all the high profile waves in the world, I feel like there's still a lot of um days, yeah, moments, yeah, days sometimes, for sure, but definitely windows. Like a couple hours here, a couple hours there, we're like everyone's at the snack, eating lunch or something like yeah you can go up.
Speaker 3:But yeah, I try. It's really fun. It's fun to get barreled out there and I guess when you're booging it feels like it's a 10 footer.
Speaker 2:You're like looking up, like what Well, I saw you cruising with Dominic the other day. He's over here from Tahiti right.
Speaker 3:Correct Still here.
Speaker 2:He's a good guy, tell him I want to see the shot of Chach just backdooring.
Speaker 3:Given me a shot in my entire life. What?
Speaker 3:no he had. He has given me. I I'm I'm hoping that he's given me like only 10, you know, and he's just hoarding the goods. But either that or I just don't really have any good ways on. I don't know. I feel like there's a few. There was a set. All I want to see from dom now this is like an ongoing joke, because I'm talking about waves from covid time, like 2020 yeah, still, there's somewhere on his hard drive and we'll see but now there's a set that we that a bunch of us photographers got smoked on like right after the shootout ended and he was shooting that from land. That's the only one I actually want to see, because that like brings me more joy seeing yourself getting rail destroyed kind of yeah because,
Speaker 3:it's um, um, it was pipe, but it's a moment where, like you never, it's like the you never really see. I don't know. I think like any of the kind of um, like off moments or whatever, in general are better in surf, yeah, film, um, so like, maybe that's like the appeal of like a nathan florence's type of uh youtube is that, like you know, he chose him taking 20 minutes to paddle out somewhere and he's getting destroyed the whole time. The gopro, like, is really hard to tell what's going on.
Speaker 3:So I'm not necessarily saying that, but like when it's being filmed from land and you see, like him catch a wave and then the next wave is coming and he's like frantically swimming in and out yeah like nelly knows that feeling.
Speaker 3:I know that feeling, not in surfing but in swimming. It's the same thing. Like that's the kind of the like core component of what makes shooting water like so scary is not like shooting the perfect wave when you're in the perfect spot yeah, that's a cakewalk. It's like thinking about how big the next wave is going to be behind it and like, depending on where you are, like it shifts a lot. And then you know you're just kind of like on edge and so we got smoked right after the shootout and I want to see that I guess I I have it and it looked like a big wave. Like sometimes you think it's a huge wave and then you see it and you're like, damn, I'm kind of a bitch.
Speaker 1:That's what Landon just said. You think it's gnarly? He said it's not gnarly. That's what Landon was saying.
Speaker 3:Like he did, the image of it.
Speaker 2:Or vice versa. Or vice versa, yeah.
Speaker 2:So this one actually kind of did like even from that clip I in a session you'll go through all of those elements. Like you'll sit on the beach and off the wall and you're like, damn, that looks heavy, yeah, and it'll be just pounding and exploding geysers in the air. And then you finally swim out there and you're like, wow, there's minor. So you hook up all these shots, right, and then all of a sudden you get cleaned. So you've gone through all three phases. You've gone through the scared phase. Then you're like, oh, I got this. And the next thing, you know, you're getting mopped and dragged along the reef, and you know what I mean. You get. It's kind of cool that like in a two hour session, you can go through all these different phases and as long as you come in unscathed and not yeah, not gouged it's, I want to.
Speaker 3:I want to hear your story again about piping no, I don't know if, but your story about I think you went to crack or something, the one you were telling me at the yeah, so that was the day that.
Speaker 2:It was the day, malik that passed away, I believe so 2002, if I recall correctly something like that. Yeah, and I was like I walked down there and I saw who did. I see, it was like reynos or someone he's like I don't know, dude, it's pretty raw and it's like on the rise.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I'd swim out if I was he was like no, I'm good reno, or I mean reynos, and uh, so I swam out, we were shooting and it just progressively got heavier and shallower and like scarier and thick, really thick like. I have a couple photos from that day where I was just like, oh you, he could just see that it was like five feet thick.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was trying to get a shot of Braden Diaz for a reef ad and he took off on this wave and he was like back. It was like one that came in from second reef and like backed off and I saw him just paddling for it. So I swam in really deep. I mean I was hungry for the buyout, I guess, Because I had swam in really deep, you know.
Speaker 2:I mean, I was hungry for the buyout, I guess because I'd swam into a place where you don't normally swim, yeah, and he straightened out and I'm like, oh shit, I tried to pull through the back and it was. The wave was already right there and I just like hit the face of the wave and just went straight over, like the falls threw me down, bounced off of uh, off the lava, like it was shallow I was was like I don't know, two, three feet, four feet deep, Smashed my elbow.
Speaker 2:I still have all the scars on my elbow Just ripped my whole elbow plate basically off. There was like a huge like hole.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 2:And I felt it, but I was like so adrenalized I didn't really know, and I came up and I was like gasping. Oh, it pinned me too. I came up gasping and I like looked at my arm and I'm like fuck, and there's this huge hole there. And I look up and there's like a 12 footer just going like right here on my head and I just like kind of put my head like an inch underwater and it just exploded me it's like a football position like you're about to get.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that is like face mask someone. Just I had zero breath.
Speaker 2:I didn't get any breath, I had zero time. I didn't get under the surface and it uh, sucked me down, smashed my housing on the bottom, felt it just shatter, and then pinned me and rolled me and like throw me into a cave. And I was just like you know, mainly it was the air. I didn't have any air, yeah, and so I was panicking pretty much and I came up just like gasping and I like looked at my housing and, sure enough, the whole, the whole plate was gone. The whole um port was just shattered. And this has been, this was I was on the last shot of my roll of film and this has been. This was I was on the last shot of my role film. So I was like panicking about that Cause it had been.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you got 35 frames of gold, yeah.
Speaker 2:It was a scary swim. I had a sick hookup with JLB, one with Dave Wassil that was nuts, and then one with Makua that was just psycho, and so I knew of those three sequences were in there and I just did not want to lose them yeah so I was swimming with my housing up in the air, back swimming, I'm just gushing blood, it's down on my rash card, just my whole thing.
Speaker 2:I was just like and I hit the beat, or I got all the way in and then the rip got me and started sucking me back and I had it like with the like none, nothing had hit me yet, you know, I mean, it sucked me back out and then, sure enough, one of those hit the rewind on the thing right there, just like suck it all in One of the gums ones doubled up and it was, like you know, another huge one and it just landed right on me and then just drenched my housing and so then I knew my camera was toast.
Speaker 3:The photos are toast.
Speaker 2:No. So I I finally got in and I ran up to the O'Neill house and I ran into the Gadascus Brothers room, shut off all the lights, pulled the sheets down over the windows and went under their sheets in their bed and manually wound that roll of film and saved it.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And I ended up scoring. Like I got a cover and two spreads, one of Wassil, one of Jamie O'Brien and one of Makua. And there was one other, I can't remember it might have been. Barka got the cover, Barka got the cover, and then I had three spreads come out of that. It still didn't matter, because I didn't get paid for my photos at that time I was on retainer so it didn't matter how many photos I got published or not published.
Speaker 2:I got the same amount of money, but um yeah, covers a good feeling either way. It was a great feeling, you know we got a one. I still lost six ground.
Speaker 1:We got to wind down. Hey, to finish up. Where. How long are you here? Where are you heading next?
Speaker 3:I'm here for through February. Oh right on, oh right on. I'm going nowhere. That's actually great. That's what's up.
Speaker 2:I saw a photo, or I mean a video, from Santa Cruz today and it didn't look.
Speaker 1:No, it's gnarly there right now. It didn't look great. It's not pretty.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry everyone in Santa Cruz that we are here and you're there Come visit. Come visit us and come shoot. Thanks, Chachi.
Speaker 1:This is good. I'm going to wipe this out. Chachi, this is amazing Pleasure. Thanks guys.
Speaker 2:We're going to need some assets.
Speaker 1:Some assets Covers. How many photos Do we count covers? Do you know how many covers you've got?
Speaker 2:99.
Speaker 3:99.
Speaker 1:No, not me, Him. I'm repeating him. I know that, but I think we're going to last long. Do you count? Do you know how many you've been on? Come on, I'm not sure, ballpark 40?.
Speaker 2:Like a Las.
Speaker 1:Vegas bet like over or under 40? I want to bet you for $10. I say it's under, I'll take $10 under, you take $10 over.
Speaker 2:The difference is he gets $10 a year right now. Bell Dogs gets $0 a year right now All.
