Pat Schmidt, Seal Beach. “This was a pretty crazy morning overall,” says photographer Luke Forgay. “It was filled with a huge crowd of surfers and bodyboarders, as well as photographers and spectators. But Pat and I kind of knew what we wanted to accomplish, so it wasn’t bad battling for position. The backwash was creeping on the inside all morning. Luckily Pat negotiated it perfectly and was able to pull out of the barrel on this one before the wave flared up on him. The situation was great for a photo, but I’m pretty sure he was just happy to be out of that one cleanly.”
Creeping Backwash
"Luckily Pat negotiated it perfectly and was able to pull out of the barrel on this one before the wave flared up on him."
Light / Dark
