How To Nail A Water Shot with Zak Noyle

Noyle lines up with Jesse Merle-Jones in Tahiti. Photo: Noyle

Nothing captures the intensity of a heavy wave quite like a well-executed water shot. Riddled with difficulty and danger, shooting from the lineup has a substantial learning curve, and just outright isn’t for everyone. But if you’re apt to try your hand, SURFER Staff Photographer Zak Noyle has some insight into what it takes to pull off a stellar water shot.

Shoot With The Right Lens: I typically favor a fisheye lens in the water. It allows you to get as close as possible to all the action. When you do it right, you can literally be in the barrel with the surfer. Right now, I’m using the Canon 8- to 15-mm lens but I also use a canon 70- to 200-mm F4 long lens in the water with zoom controls on my housing. For beginners, I’d recommend a 50- or 85-mm prime lens; it’ll give you just enough space to be safe and learn without being right in the impact zone.

Protect Your Camera: Essentially, a good housing will keep your camera dry and safe. There’s a lot of different housings you can get, but a good one should enable you to use all of your normal camera functions with ease. I only use SPL waterhousings; I’ve tried and tested others, but SPL is the hands-down best. I swim out in the largest surf possible and don’t want a housing that could shatter with one hit to the reef. I’ve basically put my housings through the ringer, and they still function perfectly.

Train Before You Swim: I train several times a week, including Bikram Yoga two to three times a week to help stay limber. I also do 30 minutes of cardio on an exercise bike followed by a light work out every day. It’s always a good idea to swim laps in a pool with and without fins as well.

Know Your Break: With any lineup, whether you’re familiar with it already or not, you always want to get a good handle on exactly what the waves, currents, and conditions are doing before you jump in. You’ll hear this a lot, but if there’s a lifeguard on duty, always check with them if you’re at all unsure. It’s their job to know exactly what the break is doing. I’ve had several close encounters in the water where my pride got the better of me. You need to always know your limits and stay humble in the ocean.

Line Up Your Target: Pulling off a good fisheye shot isn’t an easy thing; a foot or two too high or low, inside or outside, can make all the difference. It can make a 10-foot wave look like a 4-foot wave and a 4-foot wave look like a 10 footer. It’s all about how and where you position yourself between the wave and the surfer. I’m constantly watching the landmarks on the beach and the surfers in the water. Every spot and session is different. To pull off a good water shot, you need to know exactly how the wave is forming; you want to always be on your toes and ready to move. You need to be able to move and turn back and forward in a moment’s notice—it’s what makes the difference between a web photo for Facebook and a cover of SURFER magazine.

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How To Pack Your Board Bag

Always remember to look both ways before packing your board bag in the street. Photo: Lowe-White

There are a number of things that can go wrong on a surf trip: dysentery, flat spells, staph infections—the list goes on. But there’s nothing more disheartening than opening up your board bag upon arrival only to find that your boards have fallen victim to baggage handler malpractice. With the sadistic approach the airlines take to transporting your boards, you’ll need every tool at your disposal to ensure that they arrive safely and in one piece.

The most ingenious inventions are often the most simple. Before you begin packing your board bag, head down to your local hardware store to pick up some foam tubing. Grab a few feet more than the length of the boards you’re packing. With a razor blade, cut down the middle from the bottom of the tubing towards the top, stopping a few inches before you get to the top. Take the tubing and secure the uncut end to the nose of your board and grip the open two ends to the rails of your board. The rails of your board can now stand up against just about anything the airlines throw at them.

Always stack your boards correctly. Your bigger boards should always go on the bottom (wax side up), and your smaller boards on top. Always keep the rocker in unison and the boards facing the same way.

If you’re packing a board with glass-on fins, you can approach protecting them in two ways: you can either pack them individually, wrapping each fin in two or more layers of bubble tape, or you can buy a foam fin box. If you’re packing a board with removable fins, remove them.

Always strap your boards together. Most good bags will come with straps, but if they don’t, you can always use a couple of leashes instead. When you’re stacking your boards, ensure that you use a towel between the deck and bottom to protect yourself from waxing the bottom of the boards. Keeping your boards strapped together will not only lessen your chance of picking up a ding while your boards are in transit, but it can throw off the prying eyes of a ticketing agent, making it look like your traveling with less than an entire quiver.

For an extra layer of padding, evenly distribute assorted soft gear throughout the bag. Pillows wrapped abound the nose and tail work wonders. Westuits and towels placed along the decks not only add an additional layer of padding, but it’ll also save you a bundle of money by not having to check another bag. Throwing boardshorts and T-shirts into the mix never hurt either.

What are your tips for packing a boardbag? Leave your answer in the comments section below.

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How To Couch Surf

Alex Gray's insights into being a good houseguest while chasing waves

Alex Gray has done his fair share of dishes at the Volcom house, but a front row view of these waves is worth the scrubbing. Photo: Lowe-White

There are two kinds of traveling surfers in this world: those who are perennially invited back to crash at a friend’s place, and those who were only invited once. According to Alex Gray, a man who’s always met with an open invitation while scouring the globe for surf, it all comes down to knowing the basic rules of being a good houseguest. If you want to leave your bridges intact, follow Alex’s tips below.

The number one rule is to always leave the place the way you found it. Whether it’s the house you’re staying at or the beach you’re surfing, always pick up your trash and never create a new mess.

You’re a guest, never forget that. Families and cultures differ from town to town and country to country. Observe, listen, and respect. See if you can’t learn something new and adapt it into your own life. It can never hurt to try and fit in a little more when you’re in an unfamiliar environment.

At the Volcom house it’s all about sweeping and dishes. There are no maids on the road. Clean up after yourself. Nobody likes to clean the dishes after a hearty meal. Of course you’d rather sit on the couch and relax right? Wrong. Be that guy. That guy is the person that is already doing something like cleaning the dishes or sweeping the porch when no one asks. It needs to be done right? Might as well be you. This is foolproof. It’s the simple things that go a long way.

Always share. Lend a board, sunscreen, wax, a few bucks, a wave, whatever. I don’t know anyone who likes to live with a selfish person. It just isn’t as fun when you’re not sharing the good times with someone.

Be thankful and show your gratitude for being invited into someone’s home and life. It’s a fact that most moms love wine. It’s a really simple and thoughtful gift that goes a long way. It’s also a good idea to always try and leave something behind: clothes, wetsuit, or even a board. It’ll only bring the cost down of your baggage fees for the flight home. Giving gifts of gratitude like that will go further than you can ever imagine. It doesn’t take much to make a friend for life. You can never have too many friends, especially ones that live at perfect waves.

Don’t take traveling too seriously. I promise you, it’s the hard times on the road that you will laugh about later in life and always remember. Now get out there, and enjoy. Everybody gets home sick, but home is always just a plane flight away. Hang out and wait for that next swell. That’s why you’re there, right?

What’s your tip for being a good houseguest? Leave your answer in the comment section below.

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