Steve Fitzpatrick

Surf

This is not far from where it all started for me. I was on assignment for SURFER chasing waves from Hurricane Issac, but this image actually ended up being from a nor'easter. The NE angle of the swell made the south sides of all the jetties light up. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
During an editorial trip for Surfing Magazine the waves had been nearly flat in Puerto Escondido for almost two weeks. Then, finally, we woke up one morning to see 8-10 feet of new swell exploding on the sandbars under hazy skies. True to his hell man nature, Carlos was one of the first guys on it and wasted no time in finding a bomb. Client: Surfing Magazine
   
Clean N swell and light winds equals top notch conditions for Puerto Rico. Isabela is often a focal point of the action, and draws the crowds that come with it. Client: Surfline
     
  
In the last minutes of sun , Alejandro Moreda and Tommy Bursian head out to catch a few more waves to end the day. Client: Surfline
   
This particular reef in Carolina is Carlos' domain. Only a handful of other locals are as at home here as he is, and this kind of turn makes it clear he has it wired. Client: Surf Europe
   
When the strong NW swells arrive in Puerto Rico the west-facing coast of Aguadilla is the sure bet for clean conditions and big barrels. Floridian Gabe Kling was quick to drop everything at home and catch a flight to Borinquen to harvest the aquatic fruit. Client: Surfline
     
  
Meanwhile, local charger Alejandro Moreda was surely not to be outdone by a visitor. Ale about to go deep into the bowels of the inside section at this Aguadilla swell magnet. Client: Surfline
   
The rewards for Alejandro's deep barrels were not without their price. Client: Surfline
   
One that got away from the crowd. But not from me. Client: Surfline
     
  
Scoffing at the power of this wave, Carlos pulls in without the benefit of grabbing his rail. He survived this wave, but upon duck diving the following wave it pinned him to the bottom, broke his board, and sent him to the hospital with an injured back. Client: Surfline
   
Right in downtown Aguadilla an Army Corp. of Engineers project destroyed one wave and created another, more mutant peak. Client: Surfline
   
Carlos about suffer the down side of the Army Corp. of Engineers blunder. Client: The Surfer's Journal
     
  
This day saw one of the biggest, cleanest NE swells reach the island in recent memory. Our reef pass in San Juan was the place to be, and Ale was a standout performer on the big rights. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
The following day the swell was lingering, but still way overhead, and the conditions were flawless. This reef in Isabela has some heaving barrels, and Leslie is no stranger to that. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
This swell was forecast to be one for the ages. In reality it failed to live up to all the hype and only delivered mediocre surf. From my perch overlooking this spot, sitting in my beach chair, I was able to make the most of less than stellar conditions. Client: BLUE Magazine
     
  
A fickle yet meaty wave, this particular reef in Aguadilla leaves little room for error as evidenced by the rock slab in the foreground. Client: Surfline
   
Leslie receiving his wake up call and probably wondering how he'll make it out of this predicament in one piece. He did. Client: Surfline
   
Hurricane Florence brought a full week of macking swell and offshore winds for Puerto Rico's north coast. This was day three. Client: Surfline
     
  
On another hurricane swell chase Dylan Graves boosts and aerial manuever over this Bathsheba sand bar. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
The first swim I took with a flash housing produced this empty wave image. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
Leaning into a hard cutback at a rivermouth in Levittown, Gaby is perfectly lit by the early morning sun. Client: WATER Magazine
     
  
Hidden by the leading edge of the wave's lip, Gaby throws down his bottom turn. Client: WATER Magazine
   
In the days of film (remember film?) the 20mm lens added a great aspherical persepctive to watershots in clean, hollow waves. Client: Surfing Magazine
   
This reef in Arecibo produces some of Puerto Rico's heaviest waves, and it wasn't long after capturing this image that a set caught me inside and sent me packing. Client: The Surfer's Path
     
  
On the last day of my maiden voyage to Ireland the most coveted wave in Bundoran came to life. Misty overcast conditions made it less than ideal for shooting, but I managed to find an interesting angle on the scene before this beast detonated on the reef. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
This day saw scattered afternoon clouds and the lowest tide I'd ever seen at this particular reef in Carolina. For saftey's sake I waited for the last possible moment to make my exit, and exhorted Carlos to stay out with me until the last bit of light. Just as the sun poked through a break in the clouds he caught this wave and rode it right into my wheel house. The storm cloud in the background makes this image for me, and made the swim worthwhile. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
As a perfect peak breaks on the reef this onlooker is covering himself head to toe so as not to be feasted upon by sand fleas. Client: Surfline
     
  
When a wave spits like this from the compression of the folding lip you know it's a serious thing. Client: Surfline
   
With a Kodalith slide of the logo, and my old Kodak Carousel slide projector precariously mounted on a c-stand, I created this image for the Dimension Surfboards website and marketing plan. Client: Dimension Surfboards
   
Looking like a natural Typhoon Lagoon, the waves at this spot bend through two gaps in the rock before coming together to form this A-frame peak over the reef. Client: Surfline
     
  
At this reef in Rincon clean waves and wide barrels are the norm. After a camera malfunction caused me to exit the water right after reaching the peak, I arrived on the scene a second time just as Gus was pulling into this one. Client: The Room Surf Shop
   
The water was crystal clear this day and Ashley mentioned that she'd always wanted a photo of herself duckdiving. When I saw the opportunity I yelled for her to make it look good. She did. Client: Surfline
   
Known for it's stellar right hand pointbreaks, El Salvador has become one of my favorite summer surf destinations. Client: Quiksilver
     
  
Another day with amazingly clear water, this is one of the reasons why surfers in Puerto Rico fight so hard to protect the coast. Client: Surfline
   
Never one to shy away from a wide open barrel, Leslie pulls in deep on a topaz blue cavern in Arecibo. Client: A-Frame
   
Hurricane Helene was another of the storms that made September of 2006 an incredible month of surf. Local Joel Correa making the most of it in Arecibo. Client: WATER Magazine
     
  
An annual summer event for the surfing youth of Puerto Rico, Hurley's "Rip My Shred Stick" contest draws all the rabid grommets. Held in Isabela this year, Mauro Diaz and Hurley's Puerto Rico Marketing Dirctor, Otto Flores, ride one tandem just for fun. Client: Hurley Int'l
   
This offshore reef is one of Puerto Rico's most fickle yet best waves. Local Jorge Iglesias rarely misses a beat here, and always finds the pocket. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
Not deterred by a rock looming in the shallows, Luis looks for a landing pad for his frontside aerial. Client: Surfline
     
  
On a crisp, clear spring day William Sue-A-Quan and Francisco Maldonado walk through the cow pastures that lead to a beachbreak in Luquillo. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
Another spectacular hurricane swell, the storm named Jeanne passed over Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, bloomed into a hurricane over the Bahamas, and then did a U-turn into the SE off of Florida and came back towards our window delivering one of the best W swells in recent memory. Venezuelan Magnum Martinez was happy to be on hand to reap the rewards. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
Barbados native Mark Holder was right at home in Jamaica and quick to bust loose at the spot known as Zoo. Several years later Zoo was destroyed when Hurricane Ivan hit the island and moved the entire cobblestone reef there down the coast. Client: SURFER Magazine
     
  
On a glassy afternoon in Isabela Alejandro Moreda floats the end section of a wave. Client: Surfline
   
Hurricane Helene delivered a fat NE swell and S winds for the entire north coast of the island. This wave is opening wide and beckoning the three spectators on the beach, but they don't look too sure they're ready to have a go. Client: Surf Europe
   
It always looks so much smaller from the water, but no less perfect. Client: Surf Europe
     
  
Mike Trahan caught the biggest wave ever to be photographed being ridden in Puerto Rico this day. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
On an overcast morning with perfect surf my only option was to load my EOS 1v with Scala black & while transparency film, bust the ASA up to 800, and make the most of it. My swim paid off with this fisheye in-the-barrel image. Client: A-Frame
   
I always like to push the limits when I shoot with a telephoto lens from the water. There is a lot going on at this moment that it out of frame, but what is happening within the camera's view is interestingly composed and dynamic. Client: A-Frame
     
  
The "Water Jacket" was a style of Oakley sunglasses designed to be used in the water by surfers and windsurfers. Otto and I thought this image had great ad potential, but it ended up not being used by Oakley.
   
This wave is known as Europe's Pipeline and Otto felt right at home there. The image ended up as the opening spread in an eight page story about our trip. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
On a small but perfect day at this reef in Carolina Otto looks to give the lip a good whacking. Client: Surfline
     
  
Another image from the Hurricane Jeanne swell, free falling into a perfect section with a freight train barrel advancing quickly from behind. Client: Surfline
   
When I brought Otto, Magnum Martinez, and Kalle Carranza to this off-the-beaten-track beach on the island's north coast they couldn't quite believe their eyes. We spent the entire day gorging on perfect waves by ourselves and then were miraculously saved by a friend of Magnum's who brought us a full smorgasbord of food when we were very close to expiring from lack of nourishment. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
This image was total serendipity as we'd screeched into the ferry port only minutes before the boat left, arrived at the other island's port to realize we didn't have $20 between all five of us to hire a Land Rover to take us across the island With no other option we walked the mile and a half across the lunar landscape to find the main spot already crowded. As we sat on the rocks pondering our luck this right started to show some promise. We gave it a try and this was the cherry image of the session. Client: SURFER Magazine
     
  
This afternoon Chessy'd seen me catch more waves in 40 minutes on my retro single fin than he'd caught on his modern shortboard in nearly two hours. He became intrigued by the board and I said if he wanted to give it a go it was all his. He quickly found the flow and glide of the more bouyant craft and added his own unique style to make this image appear to come from another era. Client: Dimension Surfboards
   
With the moon dropping in the western sky I stopped for a surf check at this hidden beach hoping to capture an image just like this one. Client: Surfline
   
This point break is one fo the world's finest. The locals can be a challenge to manage, but once you get on the right side of them the waters tend to part and your opportunity for long perfect waves swing wide open. Client: A-Frame
     
  
On his way back from an editorial trip to St. Barth's Dave stopped in Puerto Rico and lucked into an excellent day at one of the island's top surf spots. Client: SURFER Magazine
   
On a morning spent combing the coast for the right spot, the best image I came away with was this speed blur of an empty unsurfable wave. Client: Surfline
   
Hector, aka "El Sapo", is a weekend warrior with a 9-to-5 job at the Autoridad de Energia Electrica and a teenage son. But none of that gets in his way when the work week is over and a swell arrives. Client: Surfline
     
  
In the classic boat trip setting Leslie watches from the deck of our floating hotel as others in our group are taxied into the lineup in the dinghy. Client: The Surfer's Path
   
As the swell from Hurricane Florence began to wane I took visiting surfer from Trinidad & Tobago, Chris Dennis, to one of my secret spots on the condition that he ride one of my retro single fins. The walk to this spot through a grove of palms is the stuff of dreams and the waves this day were not bad either. Client: Surfline
   
On my way back from a snowboard trip to Wyoming I stopped in New Jersey for a week to visit family and friends and lucked into an excellent winter swell. Client: The Surfer's Path
     
  
On a big NW swell this reef in Aguadilla will go square if the wind is cooperative. Client: Surfing Magazine
   
Years of surfing Oahu's Pipeline and several trips to Tahiti have prepared Otto well to handle anything Puerto Rico can throw at him. Client: Surfing Magazine
   
Sean came from San Diego and managed to get incredible surf conditions on his two week visit to Puerto Rico. Client: Surfline
     
  
Same surfer, same surf spot, similar manuever, but a very different photographic treatment. 1/8 of a second @ f/64. Client: Surfline
   
One of the Indian Ocean's most mystical waves, I had the great fortune to catch it during five days of a ten day visit. Client: A-Frame
   
A perfect day in Aguadilla gives Pat the opportunity to strut his stuff. Client: Surfline
     
  
Another image from one of the biggest days of waves in Puerto Rico's surf history. Client: Surfing Magazine