Pedro Bala was busy last week. With a huge swell bringing the best waves of the season to both his home break of Ocean Beach and the legendary large wave known as Maverick’s (you may have heard of it?) just down the coast in Half Moon Bay, you’d almost have to be in two places at once to catch it all. But Pedro caught a lucky break.
“The plan was to go to Maverick’s in the morning,” he said. “But since the swell wasn’t fully at Maverick’s yet and Ocean Beach was firing, I decided to spend my morning at Ocean Beach before heading to Maverick’s to shoot the afternoon session. The conditions at Ocean Beach were epic. The swell, the tide, the light, it all felt perfectly in place for a morning session.”
Then it was time to step on the gas in the motorized steed.
“From Ocean Beach I ran to Maverick’s, which had just started to receive the swell,” Pedro continued. “It wasn’t one of those huge days at Maverick’s, but the quality of the waves put a smile on everyone’s faces. Twenty feet of pure excitement on the sets. The vibes out in the channel and in the lineup were pure happiness. We haven’t received a proper swell at Maverick’s yet this season and that day certainly delivered.”
His personal favorite photo from the gallery? “I have to say it’s the view of Ocean Beach from above (first image). The perspective of the city meeting the ocean and the size of these waves breaking when we receive large swells is incredible. This photo delivers a strong visual statement of San Francisco that most people wouldn’t expect or know about it.”
Pedro Bala is a San Francisco-based photographer. You can check out more of his work on his Instagram and his website.
