What an amazing run of swell we have enjoyed here in Southern California. Pundits call it a once in 50 years kind of swell. I call it “busy time.” As a surf photographer, the opportunities have been broad and the toughest part has been choosing where to shoot every morning.

San Diego’s most iconic surf spot in my option is Black’s Beach. A bit of a pain to get to and always crowded, Black’s sets up in three main peaks: North; Middle; and South. These peaks provide both left and rights so everyone can slot into their favorite direction. Black’s also produces incredible form for big waves. This past week saw legitimate 30 footers rolling through. So sure enough, Black’s was on my list.

I made the hike down from the Farms on the third day of the swell. I aimed for late afternoon for the low tide (best conditions) and I wanted to try something a little different: capturing surfers on the face of a back-lit wave. Well, nature certainly accommodated and I clicked through nearly 2000 images in one afternoon. My full gallery is here

Another of my favorite spots to shoot is OB. It’s not the biggest wave, but I love the look of the jetty as a background and by sitting out on the facing stub jetty, I’m able to set up a pretty cool angle from shore. Here’s a few from last Saturday and this gallery can be found here:

Finally, I took a spin at my local, but fickle break on North Island. This only lights up with a south swell while the rest of the year it is flat as a swimming pool! Sure enough, there was enough swell in the water to generate some gorgeous rights with Point Loma in the background! Full pictures are here.

Will this string of luck continue? Only time will tell, but what a phenomenal beginning to 2023!