I drove down to Sawtell in the middle of June on the request of good friends Lillie and Judah. As I pull up to the car park at main beach I check my phone. 5 degrees. Ok. This is ridiculous.
I had only recently started my journey shooting photographs in the water. I don’t know what was more terrifying, the cold or shooting 2-3ft waves with a bunch of people.
As I walk up the hill to the top of the dunes, there was mist coming off the water. A brilliant 22 degrees in the water. A staggering 5 degrees out. The froth grew. This was a special morning.
Thankfully the bank out the front worked perfectly and I was able to sit in this little channel. Not even a rip, but a safe spot from the waves rolling in. The ocean was warm. My hands freezing as I shot what felt like a million photos.
An hour a half pass as we captured sunrise, in Winter, through the mist, with a bunch of good people, all stoked to be part of this moment. A moment that feels like yesterday.
