On January first, I woke up late with a headache–the traditional routine to start the new year. The first thing I did was check the webcam to see if there’s anything good at the local spots, and I saw that it was firing. I was pissed at myself for drinking so much the night before. Surfing is more fun than drinking, after all. Although I’d much rather surf than take pictures, taking pictures was probably the only thing I could do.
I grabbed my camera bag and headed out the door to meet a friend at Ocean Beach, where conditions looked the best. When I got there, there were really big sets pouring in, a stiff offshore breeze ruffling their edges. I ended up going north to find a spot a bit higher, so I could try a different angle to shoot Noriega. The day was perfect. I stayed until the sun burned the horizon, creating amazing colors on the water. If the first day of 2016 is any indication, it looks like we’re in for a good year.
See more from Gauthier Richard on Instagram@hellogirca, on his website Girca.fr, and on Vimeo
