SAN DIEGO — A San Diegan is competing at the Olympics, not for the gold, but for the best surfing photos.
“This is sort of a pinnacle event for me because I'm a surfer and I love shooting surfing,” said Sean Haffey, who spent years taking pictures for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Now he's in Tahiti shooting Olympic surfing for Getty Images. The competition is taking place at a spot called Teahupo'o, which loosely translates to "place of skulls."
“It's a very dangerous wave,” said Haffey who has already visited the site several times. "A lot of the competitors wear helmets. There have been brain injuries out here. There's been death. It's a very violent wave."
But what makes that wave so dangerous — it's power and jagged reef — is also what makes it so special to document.
“Sometimes they'll fly out the back of the wave, things like that, sort of images you wouldn't be expecting," Haffey said. "People in wipeouts, you know, we'll shoot those and odd body positions and things, like that.”
And among those he'll be shooting is Oceanside's Caity Simmers. The 18-year-old is one of the favorites to win gold.
“She's a serious contender,” Haffey said. “She's very young, but poised and super fun to shoot. She's incredible.”
The wave breaks so far from shore that he'll be on a boat with several other great photographers. All of them fighting to get the best shots in less than glamorous conditions.
“During competition we'll be on the boat for up to 10 hours,” Haffey said. “There's no shade. No restroom. So it's not luxury, but we are in the best spot and that's why we're here.”
Adding to the danger, the current is coming from multiple directions so the boat can get tossed around and end up in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
“There have been instances where the boat gets caught inside and photographers are forced to jump overboard.”
But Haffey says he wouldn't trade this opportunity for the world.
“It's a really tricky assignment, but at this stage of my career, I'm more than ready to do it... and I really enjoy doing it," he said.
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