Byron McLoughlin, Wave Dancer (SINGLE SHOT 2024)

Wave Dancer was taken on a day of huge swell at Padang-Padang, Bali, Indonesia when there were about 90 people out in a very challenging break competing for waves. Jasmine Studer, a 13 year-old local girl, stood out to me as she had the incredible courage to cut through the lineup, push the boundaries to catch this perfect wave and ride it with all the style and grace of a young Balinese dancer. I feel that in this image, I captured in the expression on her face the combination of pure joy and incredible fear which makes up the exhilaration of the surfing experience.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.