Pipeline Perfection.
The perfect wave, the perfect position and the perfect day, it all adds up to the ultimate surfing experience: Getting barreled at Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
The fortunate surfer is Takayuki Wakita from Japan. At this moment he is experiencing an incredible rush of adrenalin of which very few surfers, let alone non-surfers, have ever experienced. Lives of surfers have been claimed by the five foot reef that lies underneath Takayuki making this ride and all others at Pipeline a truly death defying act.
Athletes are judged on levels of performance. In the case of a surfer surfing Pipeline he or she is also judged on a level of commitment, style and grace under moments of intense energy and danger that few other athletes are subjected to.
I salute Takayuki and the countless other surfers that have placed themselves in this perilous situation and have performed at the highest level. I also salute those surfers that have been seriously injured or paid the ultimate sacrifice in challenging themselves at ‘Pipe’.
Aloha.
Technical details:
- Nikon F100
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens
- Ektachrome E100VS film
- 1/500 @ f8
- Sea Research splash housing made by Jim Bailey