Editor’s Note: #My5Lineups is a new series highlighting five of a featured photographer’s favorite lineup shots. The tenth in the series is Santa Cruz’s Dave “Nelly” Nelson.
I got into water photography in Santa Cruz in the ’90s after buying a housing from my friend Tony Roberts. For the last 20 years, I’ve shot for several different companies, including: Vans, Fox, Sector 9, and O’Neill.
When I was younger, I loved swimming in big waves, and although I still swim when its big, I’m much more calculated with where and when I swim these days. My worst pounding came at Pipeline on a strong west swell. I swam out at dawn and was trying to get a big barrel shot of Braden Dias for Reef. Braden rolled into one from the second reef, so I swam in to get the double up. Unfortunately, I got sucked over the falls. The reef came up fast and I smashed my elbow hard on the lava. When I finally came up, I glanced at my elbow and saw that I had taken a half-dollar-size chunk off the plate. I then looked back out and saw a 10-footer bearing down on me. I dove to the bottom, but it was too late. I got sucked up and over again, and this time my housing cracked on the reef. I knew it broke the port the second it hit. It pinned me on the bottom for a while, and when I came up, I was gasping for air. Thankfully, that was the last wave.
The port had a huge hole in it, and I poured all the water out and swam in trying to hold the housing above the surface. I ran up to the O’Neill house and ended up saving the roll of film inside. The camera and fisheye lense were toast, but I did get a cover and two spreads from that roll.
To see more of Nelly’s work, visit his personal website at davenelson-photography.com or check out nrbphoto.com—a site Nelly started with two friends and fellow photographers, Birdo and Matt Walker.
