On Style

Style is not a word often associated with riding big waves. Survival is not always aesthetically pleasing. These days, however, the best big-wave surfers are no longer just trying to avoid being snuffed out. They’re looking for total mastery. Grant “Twiggy” Baker is one of those few pushing into such territory. In images of huge surf, we usually see pulled-back moments of outrageous scale. In this photo from Jaws, the poise and control is at much closer range—right in everyone’s faces—an angle that allows us to study Baker’s composure despite the intensity of the situation and his positioning.

[Photo by Ernie Black]