My name is Matt Degreff. I was born in Miami, but moved to West Africa for seven years when I was only two. My parents are seasoned travelers and I got the bug from them early. My dad was a surfer that grew up in the Dominican Republic, and he got me a board and took me when I was a kid, and I just got hooked. Not much later, I got my first camera, and the two sort of came together. I never had any formal training, it was just trial and error and reading various things. I started going to Central and South America when I was fifteen, and fell in love with the culture and surfing potential. I studied in Peru for six months and learned to speak Spanish well, and after college I lived in Nicaragua for eight months and surfed and took pictures every day. I live to travel and to document it. I spend basically all of my money on travel, surfing, and camera gear. Surfing has taken me to many incredible places and I’m so happy to be able to share some of my photos here. I’m currently living back in Miami and getting started working freelance in film production as a camera assistant. Being a surfer in Florida can be frustrating and painful, but it has its moments. Also, we’re just a hop and skip away from Central America and the Caribbean. Thanks for looking, and check out my website for new photos: mattdegreff.com
Portfolio: Matt Degreff
I took this in remote northern Peru. I traveled about 30 hours on buses to get here, but it was worth every minute. I surfed this wave and a few others with just a handful of locals for five days straight. Photo: Matt Degreff.
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I initially passed over this photo until my friend Shay got really excited when he saw it. The massive air, the lone peak out the back, all make for an interesting shot. Photo: Matt Degreff.
My friend Rico coming in after a fun sundown session and taking a last look at the ocean. Photo: Matt Degreff.
A bit of green peeking through on a gloomy but perfect day. Photo: Matt Degreff.
The epic afternoon glass-off we always are hoping for. Photo: Matt Degreff.
Gorkin standing tall and relaxed in a shallow little tube at low tide. He comes to this place a lot and the local kids worship him. They all buy markers and draw lost logos on just about everything. Photo: Matt Degreff.
Gorkin again, using his patented two-hand stall to lock into this square beachie. Photo: Matt Degreff.
At this spot you can tell if it's offshore by checking the smoke trail off of the volcano. This was taken just at sunrise, and you could tell that it was going to be a good day. Photo: Matt Degreff.
Walking back to the car to refuel after a long morning session with no one else in sight. Photo: Matt Degreff.
This was shot during hurricane Irene in south Florida. We live for hurricanes down here, and this was a damn good one. Photo: Matt Degreff.
This was my first shot published in a mag. It's an unsponsored guy named Austin from Jacksonville, one of the nicest people and most powerful surfers I have met on my travels. Photo: Matt Degreff.
This was shot from the balcony where I was staying. I snapped about 100 shots of perfect waves in about 10 minutes before I ran full speed to the beach to get some for myself. Photo: Matt Degreff.
A late afternoon, perfectly groomed right peeling off and just begging to be ridden. Photo: Matt Degreff.
Super nova. This is my buddy Hugh from Nova Scotia. Hands down the nicest, most mellow, and also the most feral guy I have ever known. He moved to Central America and lives in a hut with no walls, so that he has to move his bed from side to side when it rains depending on the wind. Here he is, reaping the benefits. Photo: Matt Degreff.
This photo lived on my desktop for a long, long time. Words can't describe what having a full day of waves exactly like this one with just you and your best friends feels like. These are the days that I live for. Photo: Matt Degreff.
A gloomy, glassy afternoon at a spot where very few people ride longboards, let alone with style like this. Photo: Matt Degreff.
