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I had not been to Fiji for many years and this was a pretty different trip as I didn't stay in the action packed islands, namely Namotu or Tavarua. Instead, I was on a small, rocky boat stationed near the judging tower at Cloudbreak. We got to see when it turned on out there. This shot is a result of that boat and a little knowledge knowing that late this day would be good. Here, Nat Young, Rookie of the Year stole the wave of the afternoon and gave me one of my favorite photos to date. Photo: Nate Smith
Editor’s Note: We’ve chosen to focus our relaunch around the theme: EVOLVE. Transformation is core to who we are, and we put it out to The Inertia’s influencers and most talented contributors to share moments that caused significant personal growth and transformation – ideally with some relation to surfing, but also to life in general. These are Nate Smith’s moments.
I can recall when I was really young always being mesmerized by what my mates where doing on a wave as I’d paddle back out – sitting and watching them blow the tail or get barreled. I thought those would make amazing photos. So there was my solution for the next few months. Fifteen odd years later, and I’m still doing it. Funny, yet cool, how things work out.
See more from Nate at NateSmithPhoto.com