David Pu'u is an amazing photographer known for specializing in capturing the most beautiful light conditions this world offers. Working with him is always interesting because he approaches photography different from most other surf photographers i've worked with. He is less interested in high action and more concerned with capturing a mood - a well lit moment that tells the story of what it feels like to be a surfer.
When working with him in the water, sometimes i'll just pass by him and he'll come up all excited claiming "that was perfect!" and i'll say, "but i didn't even do anything!" From his perspective though, the moment was amazing. I've traveled with him to the Maldives twice, the Seychelles, and Cabo and he always gets great shots. So when he suggested we meet up at Point Hueneme, insisting I be in the water at sunrise on a freezing March morning, I trusted him completely. I got up at 4:15am, drove to Ventura, ran out on the Pier in the dark and cold offshore wind to check the surf. It looked really small, but there were a few little lines. Dave showed up and assured me that it would be great, so I pulled on my wetsuit and ran out over the sand just as it started to get a little light.
The wind was so cold the water actually felt warm at first and there was a massive full moon to appreciate. By the time I got out into the lineup I realized it was almost 1ft on the set, but kept holding out some hope that there would be at least one good one that would cooperate.
As the sun started showing there was a gold line on each curved wave face and I knew what Dave was looking for. I never got a wave to cooperate unfortunately, but in the empty wave shots you can see the potential. We'll have to try again next time with a little more swell....
