Is this the best photo ever taken with a dolphin? We guarantee that it is a genuine photo with no digital enhancement or addition of dolphins … that’s how it was! The photo was taken at 4:16 pm on June 28, 2002 (thank goodness digital cameras, they store all that kind of information!) On a Nikon D1X camera with a Nikkor 500mm f8 mirror lens.
John Pauling, a South African surf photographer, took a once-in-a-lifetime photograph of 17 dolphins hovering over humans during a professional surfing competition … he has been surfing since 1965 and has worked as a professional photographer ever since. 1973 (his entire adult career). We publish it in Artists Harbor as a photograph on glossy paper and as a poster on matte art paper.
Here’s what John has to say about how he got lucky and took the best surf photo of his career:
“It was taken at a well-known surf spot south of Durban called Cave Rock during a surf contest called Rip Curl Tube Masters. It is an annual event that takes place there due to the large hollow waves that arise at that time of year. .
I have been a professional photographer my entire working life since 1973 and have been involved with surfing since about 1965, so I have learned a lot from real “surfers”!
At this time of year (May to July) the swell always increases due to weather conditions (our winter) and along the coast of Natal we have a unique situation with huge shoals of sardines migrating up the coast towards Mozambique. Of course, bigger fish follow sardines, game fish follow those fish, and then sharks and dolphins follow game fish, the old story of who eats who.
It is quite common to have dolphins in the waves with you while you are surfing, sometimes it is quite unnerving for them to approach you while you are in the wave!
On this particular day, I saw the pod crossing at the bottom line behind the surfers and knew from experience that at some point one or two of them would break off and join the guys in the surf.
So I was anticipating some action from them, but nothing like what they presented me with!
I’ve been taking surf photos for over 30 years all over South Africa, but I rate this as the best I’ve been lucky enough to get! “
