Pablo was there for one of the most epic waves of Medina’s career. Photo: Pablo Jimenez//ISA
When the first rays of light poked over the mountains of Tahiti on Monday, July 29, no one was expecting what the sun revealed. Teahupo’o was huge and perfect with slabs of water exploding on the reef. By now you’ve probably seen the photos and videos of the Olympians who braved the conditions – heroic barrels, pounding wipeouts, and lagoon wash-throughs. But there were also two water photographers putting themselves in the chaos, albeit without the flotation of a surfboard.
Only two photographers had permission to shoot in the water at the Olympics at once. One was the AFP photographer, Ben Thouard, and the other was a rotating position between three ISA photographers. On that special Monday, it was Pablo Jimenez’s turn. With the swell coming from an extremely west direction, the lineup was particularly dangerous as the biggest sets threatened to close out the channel. Given the moment and the conditions, it was a career-defining day for a photographer. I sat down with Jimenez, who’s originally from Chile, to hear what it was like shooting in the water with just one other photographer and two surfers on that memorable morning.
How was your experience that big Monday, especially in the context of the Olympics?
Monday was fun. We showed up that day knowing there would be a bit more swell than the previous two or three days. But I was stoked when I saw the sets coming. Nobody expected it to be that big. I got in the water and the first heat was good, but then it really started pumping. There were some bombs out there.
How close could you get to the waves?
I came here a couple of times before the Olympics for training camps. It’s a really good spot to shoot either from water or the boat. It’s super photogenic. But it’s a little shifty. I didn’t know it was like that. They call it the south peak and the west bowl. It moves a little bit with swell directions. Sometimes you’re really close to the action and sometimes it’s further up the point. I still haven’t figured it out 100 percent. Some guys get super close. I wish I could get that close but I think you need to spend more time on it, get the feel, and just know the wave properly.
Would you have gotten closer to the surfers if it were a freesurf?
Well, you always want to be closer, but there are local photographers and they’ve spent a fair amount of time out there. The lineup for photographers is similar to a lineup for surfers. So I wouldn’t have necessarily been closer. That was the good thing that day. It was just me and one other photographer. None of my photos have another photographer in front, which is awesome.
Regardless of how close you were, was it sketchy with all that water moving around?
That day was so west. There were a few sets that were almost closeouts. They were coming from the direction where all the boats were sitting. There was this one set, I think it was right around the time Filipe Toledo got caught inside, that was super west. It was a bit chaotic at the time. I was going under the set wave and then I looked up and saw the broadcast boat right there at the top of the wave – maybe six to eight feet away – the distances are a bit (hard to gauge) underwater. So I went under, opened my eyes, and saw the boat’s propeller. It was a little bit too close for comfort.
Wait, do you always open your eyes when going under?
Yeah, I want to know where I’m going.
Ok, continue.
So (at that point) I stopped paddling and I started feeling the suction and the energy of the wave sucking me back. I changed my direction a bit and went around the boat. But there was another wave coming. The boat was further out now, but there was still chaos. Ben Thouard was right there too. But the guy with the broadcast water camera was suddenly gone. He went over the falls. I talked to him later and he said he fully hit the reef and was pretty sore. The camera was fine; they just had to fix a few things. But he said he saw the same thing I did. He saw the propeller underwater. Those (broadcast) cameras are so buoyant that he just got sucked over when he stopped swimming.
When you swim under a wave, like when you saw the propeller, are you only kicking your flippers or using your free arm too?
It depends. It’s mainly your flippers, but one good stroke with your arm can help too if needed. When the wave is sucking and you feel that suction, you can use it in your favor if you go deep and catch that current.
So it was pure luck that you were shooting in the water that day?
Exactly. We got our roster for who’s shooting water and that day was my turn. I was supposed to shoot six heats, but I was like, this is too good. I can’t go in. My battery was running out, so I went to the boat to change the batteries. I called (the ISA media manager) and told him it was too good. I had to stay longer. I missed a few good waves when I was in the boat changing batteries, but you can’t get it all.
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What’s the best shot you got that day?
There were some really good moments. I like Kauli Vaast’s wave when he’s right at the bottom and the lip is over him. Right at that time of the day, the sky opened up and the light was perfect. There are a couple of Alan Cleland around the same time. And then Medina’s 9.9, of course.
Where were you for Medina’s 9.9?
I was in the perfect spot. It kind of caught me off guard at the beginning of the heat. I was a little bit too zoomed out. But I managed to work it out.
In a previous conversation, you told me the recent near-drowning incident of another photographer didn’t cross your mind that day. But how did you know you were ready to shoot in such conditions?
Teahupo’o is probably the heaviest, most perfect wave that I’ve shot. But I’ve been out in the water at Punta de Lobos (Chile) when it was big and scary. There’s this wave in northern Chile called La Cosa (that I’ve shot). It’s a little like Teahupo’o, but then it goes into these gnarly steps. I’ve shot solid Pipeline, Puerto Escondido. So I’ve been shooting for ages and before that I was bodyboarding solid waves. I feel comfortable enough in bigger waves. It doesn’t mean I’m a big wave rider. But I’ve been getting in the water for over 30 years.
This man knows what he’s doing. Photo: Ben Reed//ISA
How would you tell a photographer they’re ready? How do you gauge your comfort level?
I get people asking me for tips all the time. The first thing is, you have to feel comfortable in the water. But what does that mean? Because that (photographer who almost died), I guess he felt comfortable in the water too. You have to respect (the ocean), of course. The years give you some of that. You understand that you can get pounded. I don’t think I am a daredevil. I take controlled risks. I feel comfortable in the water, but, of course, I am intimidated by big waves. Still, I have been around for a while and know how it works.
What was your biggest takeaway from that day?
I was stoked. I felt lucky it was my turn to shoot water when the waves were epic. It was a lot of years of work, especially coming from Chile. Being a water photographer from Chile hasn’t been easy. Being there that day for the Olympics, solid and perfect, it doesn’t get much better than that. I don’t want to call it the peak of my career because I want things to keep happening, but it’s a high point.
