There is something special about a surf trip to an exotic locale. It is even more special when your son calls you in the middle of winter and invites you to be the photographer on his surf trip to Panama! When such events occur, I’m all in. Having done a number of surf trips, I have learned a few things about traveling with photo gear. Here are some tips I have gathered along the way.

Include your Favorite Lens: I used to take the approach that economy and efficiency were the best ways to travel. In other words, traveling with the least amount of photo gear seemed to make sense. I would take one camera body and my everyday lens: a Canon 24-105 mm. For surf trips, I would include my 70-200mm zoom. Unfortunately, there were so many times that I found myself on a gorgeous beach, watching the surfers out on the reef – much to far away for 200mm to capture with any clarity. When I’m at home and shooting from land, I use my Canon 500mm, often with a 1.4x extender. This is a really heavy setup though and it requires a strong tripod so I used to leave it at home on long trips. What a mistake! It wasn’t long before I realized I really needed all that glass, even when traveling. Now I forego the middle zoom and pack the long glass. And guess what, images that are once in a life time, are now possible.

Bring the Water Gear: No surf trip is complete without long hours in the water shooting up close. I use a rad setup from SPL Waterhousings with two different ports. I use a tight dome port for 15mm wide angle close ups (think barrel shots) and a long port for my 24-105 zoom for those further away shots. A comfortable pair of fins is also crucial. Remember that all that nice warm, salty water has a way of causing rashes so your fins should be really comfortable. I prefer DaFin Swim Pros. With those, I have never had a problem with skin rubbing off.

Bring Backups: Again, this was a lesson learned the hard way. Surf photography is really hard on equipment. It is exposed the water, salt and sand. I have seen other peoples’ equipment go overboard and sink or be ruined forever. Over time, things start to stick or even break down completely. Several years ago, I was traveling through Australia when my ol’ reliable camera body simply shut down on me. There I was surrounded by kangaroos, wallaroos, and wombats and I couldn’t take a single picture – a photographer’s worst nightmare! Try finding a Canon dealer in the outback! Now I alway pack a backup!

Pack Multiple Memory Cards: How many times have you actually filled an entire card? Well, okay, more often than you might imagine. For the newbie though, it is a disaster when your card is full and you don’t have another at hand. Somehow the best of all shots line up in these situations and one always remembers the image that got away. Lightweight and affordable, there is no excuse not to travel with multiple memory cards!

Water Proof Your Gear: When going on a surf trip, especially to the tropics, one can absolutely expect to get wet. It rains…a lot! There is high humidity. When riding on boats, there is sea spray and wave splash. Excited surfers coming out of the water drip water everywhere. And sometimes, boats get tipped! A drybag is an absolute must for any surf trip. I have one that fits my camera, middle lens, extra memory cards, passport, etc. It’s super easy to access and I have swam to shore from a boat numerous times with absolute confidence.

Now remember when I said don’t be afraid to bring the long lens? Well, this needs a little more planning. For my last trip to Panama, I invested in a Pelican Air Carry-on case. It fits in the overhead compartment on your flight, has wheels for easy transport, and is large enough to carry my 500mm lens, travel tripod, 2 camera bodies and assorted smaller lenses. And it is, in fact, water proof, not just water resistant. It has a unique waterproof O-ring and an automatic pressure equalization valve that balances interior pressure and keeps water out. In fact, I jumped overboard with this case on multiple occasions and swam it to deserted jungle shorelines where I could then set up for some amazing shots. One added benefit to a hard case is that you can string a lock on it so it is secure in your room when you are gone!

So those are my simple tips. Some take a little planning, but when you have all the gear you desire on location, then its all fun and games and time to create some real magic!