Whether the waves are big or small, there is a dedicated subset of watermen that prefer to hit the water with a set of fins on the feet and their hand on the wave. These are the bodysurfers: a bold group of chargers who launch out of the waves like the dolphins that often surround them…

Photographing these watermen takes a quick eye since they often do submerged starts and you can’t see them as early as surfers who paddle into the waves on the surface. They also lineup much further inside than the surfing brethren so one has to be ready.

The recent weeks of heavy surf have brought out the best of the bodysurfers. Never ones to shy away from big swells, I’ve seen them screaming down the faces of 10 foot monsters as calm as if they were in two foot swell.

Then, of course, there are the truly old school set who attack the winter waves sans wetsuit. One simply has to admire this band of bodysurfers!