Video#29: Swell Direction
California, USA.
2009
This video was photographed in August and September of 2009 in California, U.S.A. The sky is mostly cloudy, but not menacing. Tall foliage sways in the foreground as the view shows a shoreline on the Pacific Ocean that ends in a steep cliff. There are a few surfers on the beach with their boards flat on the sand. Around five surfers are in the water trying to catch the calm waves on this day. The surfers are far away, but can still be seen paddling out to the lineup. The exposed reef rock is seen as the waves slosh gently over it. The video cuts to a closer view of the same surfers. At screen-right, we see two individuals in shorts and T-shirts standing on the exposed rock. When a wave comes in, their feet are splashed by the approaching waves. At screen-left, a quartet of surfers jostles for the next rare wave. Two longboarders in dark wetsuits decide to share a wave. The first surfer falls off after a few seconds, while the second one makes the most of the rest of the swell. The video cuts to a closer camera angle. The sun is higher and there are fewer clouds in the sky, so this water-only shot looks warm and pleasant. In the foreground, the covered reef barely peeks above the water as the gentle waves head ashore. A young man in a black wetsuit rides his blue shortboard regular foot to his right. The swell comes from two different directions about 90 degrees apart, and the two skewed waves criss-cross each other. The surfer ends his ride. The video ends while sounds of ocean surf fade out.
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