From the North Sea to Tahiti

It’s been a while since I wrote a personal story. 1,5 years to be precise. I didn’t have a lot of inspiration I guess and Youtube took up most of my time.

But I have set myself a new goal in life, which gives me a reason to start journaling again.

When I started surfing, I soon found myself mesmerized by the magic of the waves. Floating around. on my surfboard, I was amazed by their power, shapes and colors. It was a fascination that I wanted to capture. When action cams came into play, there was an opportunity to do so. But action cams have wide angles, not showing much detail in the image. The other option was to buy a waterhousing for my digital camera, but they are massively expensive, especially for a teenager like me at the time.

When I was finally able to purchase one at a later age, a whole new world opened up for me. The details I captured were magical. The North Sea truly became my playground. A place where I could be my creative self. A place where I started feeling at home and comfortable, also if the waves got a bit bigger.

I started shooting in Portugal, to challenge myself a bit more. Bigger waves usually mean more current and longer periods of being under water. It envokes fear, but it’s a good challenge. If you want to photograph beautiful waves, you have to become a good swimmer and manage your fear.

While I was working in Switzerland this winter, I found myself overthinking life. I felt like it was time for a new challenge. The ultimate one as a waterphotographer. I want to shoot in the water at Teahupoo, Tahiti.

Why? Eversince I started surfing, I’ve been seeing shots of Teahupoo. It’s the most beautiful and notorious wave on the planet. Big blue barrels and a lush green backdrop of Tahiti’s rugged peaks. The pinnacle of waterphotography in my opinion.

I want to make a documentary of my journey from the North Sea to Tahiti. From the cold murky waters, to the crystal clear and unforgiving ones. It will be a journey of at least 1,5 years. in which I have to prepare both physically and mentally. There will be practice swims in the North Sea, Portugal and probably other spots with significant waves. The aim is to go to Tahiti in the summer of 2025, when it’s winter on the Southern Hemisphere and the waves are bigger and more consistant.

Join me on this journey through this journal, where I will keep track of my progress. If you know anyone that could be of help for this project, please shoot me a message.

💙 Tomas

One from my archieve. Portugal 2020

One from Teahupoo

If you are interested in waterphotography from one of Teahupoo’s best photographer check out this Instagram account: @benthouard