Visually, surfing is a beautiful sport. Just think, images of the ocean alone are worthy of being framed and hung in a living room somewhere. Combine that with an effortless turn or an incredible tube ride in the foreground, and it takes the imagery to the next level.
But to go one step further, there are images of our sport, and then there are images that define our sport–that represent key moments in time, historically. Turning points. And of the pantheon of image capturers who make it their life’s work to shoot those moments, there is perhaps none more renowned than Jeff Divine.
Occy getting barreled at Sunset Beach. Tom Carroll’s famous snap at Pipeline. Christian Fletcher pushing the limits of aerial surfing. These are all moments Jeff has transferred to film–moments that define eras of surf history.
It’s a testament to his preeminence as a surf photographer when companies like Stance and Swell approach Jeff for a project to put his iconic images on socks, so consumers can own a piece of surf history.
But, personally I’m not sure how I feel about these things. The photos are incredible, but displaying key moments in surf history on my shins? I mean, I like socks with crazy patterns as much as the next guy, but this I’m just not sure about. But who knows, maybe I just don’t get it.
