A good size swell was bound to hit Siargao Island. It was off season. There hadn’t been decent surf for a while so everyone had expectations. It was my second month on the island and my first good swell. I had some experience of shooting small surf but knew I was going to get worked by what was coming.
The skies were overcast but the sun came through often enough, making surfing shots backlit. There was so much water from the swell already and the high tide was peaking so the rip currents were like wild rivers. It wasn’t an ideal situation for a newcomer like me.
Hammered by set waves, I got washed back a few meters. Manuel Melindo was paddling back to the line-up after taking one of the waves that got me. I swam back out with him and this smaller wave came. When we went under I pointed my GoPro at him, swam back to position and forgot about the shot. I knew I had some good barrel shots but I was surprised to see this amazing one while sorting on the computer. It’s weird that now I have equipment that’s supposedly more efficient, but it cannot reproduce this kind of shot. I guess it’s all about luck and being ready when it comes.