Catching Waves

“Big waves only come around a few times a year,” she says. When these days arrive, Cunningham and the surfers spend the whole day on the water, from sunrise to sunset. When she arrives at the beach, Cunningham puts on her wet suit and grabs her camera equipment, swim fins, and two safety vests. Then she rides out to the waves on a Jet Ski or boat. “When a big wave is in front of you, it takes your breath away and it stops time,” she says.

One of the ways Cunningham prepares for a day at sea is by taking note of the day’s swell, or movement of the waves. “Every wave is different. They’re like snowflakes,” she says. She checks surf forecasts, which provide data about the wind and waves.

Big waves only happen a few times a year. When they do, surfers spend the whole day on the water. So does Cunningham. When she arrives at the beach, she puts on her wet suit. She grabs her camera, swim fins, and two safety vests. The big waves are often far offshore. Cunningham rides out to them on a Jet Ski or boat. "When a big wave is in front of you, it takes your breath away and it stops time.

Cunningham prepares carefully for a day at sea. She looks up the day's swell, or how the waves are moving. "Every wave is different,” she says. “They're like snowflakes." Knowing how the waves are behaving helps her stay safe.

These reports also identify how high the crests—the foamy tops of waves—are and how many seconds there are between crests. This tells Cunningham how much time she’ll have between waves to take a photo and dive under before the wave crashes. As the surfer is going down the wave, Cunningham kicks up the wave with her camera. “We try to intersect at this magic spot,” she says.

Cunningham believes that the ocean can inspire people to take care of one another and to protect the ocean itself. “There’s a saying that we’re not divided by land, we’re connected by water,” Cunningham says. “I want to share that beauty with people who aren’t able to be out there.”

Cunningham also checks surf forecasts. They tell her how high the crests, or tops, of the waves are. They also report the time between waves. This helps Cunningham figure out how long she has for each shot. As a surfer rides down a wave, Cunningham swims up it with her camera. "We try to intersect at this magic spot," she says.

Cunningham is inspired by the ocean. She hopes her photos make people want to protect it. "There's a saying that we're not divided by land, we're connected by water," she says. "I want to share that beauty with people who aren't able to be out there."