Surfing Namotu Island, Fiji

Surfing Namotu Island, Fiji

Photograph by Stuart Gibson, Red Bull Illume

"I hope I get under this," was the thought going through surfer Sean Woolnough's mind as he rose on this wave, named Love Shacks, off Namotu Island, Fiji. Woolnough had just paddled out for the first wave,
missed it, and turned around to face the one in the picture. "I got sucked over the falls and rag-dolled over the reef," the Australian says.

Woolnough was not fazed by his precarious position. "I saw that the wave was quite large, but all was good because I had been in that position many times before," says the Sydney local who has been surfing for 30 years. "I surfed the rest of the day getting some bombs and some more floggings."
Getting the Shot
“Nothing out of the ordinary, other than driving a Jet-Ski with $5,000 worth of camera equipment not in a water housing into huge waves,” says photographer Stuart Gibson of taking this shot. On this “average day,” Gibson captured a photo of Woolnough floating atop a massive wave that has earned Gibson a spot in the prestigious Red Bull Illume Photo Contest’s Top 50 finalists list.
After watching this break with Woolnough for years, the duo got the glassy-wave day they were looking for. “I shot about 10 or 15 photos of this wave. I was kind of worried for Sean, but I knew he's good in big waves. I was more focused on taking a cool photo of a wave that we have chased for so long.”
Gibson photographed with a Canon EOS 7D and 300mm lens.
See more of Gibson's work.