Four dudes, Paul Simon, and a Fiat 500. That winning combination came together for a day trip to the Rockaways, a spur of the moment expedition in search of sun and swell. Once there, our group discovered a cohort of wetsuit wrapped soul surfers, devoted individuals willing to brave freezing temperatures and a bitch of a current. Fighting the urge to join them (a task made harder with Dean’s optimism and a $25 all-in rental offer), our crew sought shelter on the boardwalk and settled in to watch the waves churn.
More Rockaways after the break.
After a long drive in a short car, the crew had a energy to burn. The sizable swell did little to calm our nerves.
Dean a had more than the others, but it was nothing that couldn’t be channeled into a few stunts and a sea turtle sand sculpture.
After a while we moved in for a closer look. On our way down I stopped to take photos of two surfers, one coming in and another going out. They ended up being some of my favorite photos, not to mention really nice people, and reminded me why I’m always happier with a camera in hand.
Meet Jeff. And Jeff’s hat. It’s funny, when I complimented him on his “bright” accessory I’m not sure he realized he still had it on. Business as usual I’m afraid, and he was happy to stand for a few photos.
Now meet Kris. And while you’re at it, Kris’ beard. Luckily he was a SUPER friendly guy and a great sport as I fired off more than a few frames of him watching the surf. He just looked so badass with that beard and blue fish. Looking at him you better belive the surf was burly.
We stayed on the jetties until the wind picked up, Jason got soaked, and we all decided it was time to head home. Piling into our clown car we headed back to the city, with more than a few of us thinking up ways to get in on the next session.
[gwu] Graham Whitaker Unterberger 
Awesome shots. (I’m gonna have to use a better adjective in the future. “Awesome” is the “go to” word, just so fricken easy and says it all, right?! I’m lazy.) The colors are beautiful – the sand and the sky. The colors make it feel peaceful despite knowing that there was definitely nothing ‘peaceful’ about your group of guys. ;-). I think I’ll title one, “soft & peaceful, loud & boisterous.”
Your photos are always good but so are your words. Here’s my favorite sentence in this week’s post, “Dean had a little more so than the others, but it was nothing that couldn’t be channeled into a few stunts and a sea turtle sand sculpture.” Awesome again! (It also helps to know Dean…super easy to visually picture this!)
Yes! Dean was in rare form, and it wouldnt have been the same without him! The rocks ways were so cool, we’ll have to go out again sometime, totally different vibe from the west coast surf scene
Looks like it was a very cool day, literally. Can’t believe there are such hardy folks out there committed to the sport!