Surfers of Santa Barbara
One of Eliot's ongoing personal projects: Surfers of Santa Barbara. Providing a deeper glimpse into the lives of those, that, with their bodies and boards, navigate through, and bow to, the power and the magnanimity of our beloved Pacific. With each new subject that he captures, he is then introduced to his next subject. Weaving community, human to human, something we could all use a little more of in this digital era.
"Therapy - Stoke - Energy. To me, surfing symbolizes life's journey and serves as a therapeutic teacher, showing us how to navigate peacefully. Just as life presents challenges and obstacles, we confront them in order to experience the joys and excitement it offers. Surfing imparts similar lessons, where we face frustrating sessions, painful wipeouts, and difficult conditions to grow, achieve, and enter a state of flow that evokes the stoke of surfing. Surfing to me is also the exchange of powerful energy I am so honored to feel - between the ocean, my body, and my board. It is something you can't find anywhere else and surfers will forever chase. Lastly, surfing to me is community and culture. I am who I am today because of the community and culture surfing has gifted me. I am grateful for those I've crossed paths with through surfing, and the experiences it has given me. As well as those to come!"
Cassidy Urbany
My mother is from Okinawa, a small tropical island south of mainland Japan. There is a part of me that feels that I was always meant to be in the water. Today the ocean is a staple part of my life, identity, and mission. Surfing is the subtle art of being in the ocean’s element and learning to collaborate and move with it. It is the joy of dancing on the water surface where the sparkles come to life at sunset. It is the wonder of seeing dolphins in the lineup and the cleansing of being immersed in the saltwater. Each day I am overcome with gratitude for how much the ocean has given me.
Jasmin Tupy
...Surfing is paddling out into the unknown of what’s coming your way, heart beating, awakening…
…it’s gliding with your board over water, life, and Earth’s powerful momentum…
…it’s harnessing energy to balance your fragile human body…
…Surfing is witnessing large bottlenose dolphins, connecting with their eyes, the surfer getting a glimpse into their intelligence and joy for life…
…it’s being next to perfectly and precisely positioned pelicans skimming the curve of a wave, reminding us that they too have a community and system…
…it’s feeling small in the world…
...it’s the greeting of my tail-wagging sandy surf pup on land…
...it’s a reminder to give gratitude to our Mother Earth and all she has to offer if we open our eyes to the small details of interconnectedness…
Kendra Ross
Surfing has been a part of my life since I was 12 years old when my family moved to a house on the beach in Montecito. I saw my brothers surfing and of course I wanted to learn. Soon I caught "the bug'! I have been surfing ever since and can't imagine my life without it then or now. I met my husband of 40 years surfing and I believe having the mutual love of the ocean and surfing has kept our relationship strong. Plus, for me being out in the ocean and riding waves is one of the best feelings in the world!
Susan Ledig
“Surfing makes everything in life better! It gives me refuge and a positive place to be. It brings our family together and provides a special bond. Surfing brings me happiness, pure joy and a connection to nature. When I’m out in the water catching waves and my dog is playing on the beach it makes my heart full. If I’m having a hard day or stressed it brings me peace and a sense of calmness. Surfing has connected me to interesting people and a cool community that I love and appreciate so much. I am eternally grateful to surfing and the beach for contributing so much positivity to my life…Thank you surfing!”
Lynn Cochrane
Surfing invited itself into my life. Provided itself into my life, it wasn’t really an option, it was more an enquiry into what I wanted to discover. I realized my joy for living, my enthusiasm about all things, really comes from that original sense surfing has always provided. It turns out, surfing for me has been a life-long ongoing discovery of who I am.
Jim Fitzpatrick
"The ocean brings me joy, whether in the solitude of riding a secluded spot under a blanket of morning fog, the dopamine candy of dropping into a big wave, the triumph of crossing an open ocean channel on a paddleboard, the thrill of finding an octopus in a winter tidepool with my kids, or simply the contentment of reading by the water’s edge."
Ben Diener
“Joy and awe; whenever I am in the ocean, on it, or under it that is its gift. I grew up in Alberta and always wanted to live by the sea. These days I am down on the beach or in the ocean almost daily.
After years of diving, sailing and all kinds of water activities, I started surfing and I love it. Racing down a wave, duck diving under a big set, surfing at night in bioluminescent-it’s magic.
The ocean always makes me smile.”
Art Tiddens
"Surfing for some is a sport. Surfing for others is a religion. Surfing for me is a performing art” Baron Spafford
“Surfing is a mental, emotional, and physical release. It makes you forget about everything and focuses you on one of God's best creations. Surfing is so pure and simple yet so hard to master. Even after surfing my whole life, it puts a smile on my face just thinking about it.” Ryan Knight
“Surfing is so much fun. It feels good to be riding the waves and feeling the power of the ocean. Going under the water is so peaceful.” Curren Knight
“Surfing is my healthy addiction, my self-expression, and my church. It’s my daily practice of tapping into the universal energy of the ocean that unites and connects us all.” - Dennis Rizzo
"Surfing is Sacred! Our Meditation. Dancing Upon the Waves of Life. A Celebration of Nature, Flow, Family and Freedom!" - Gabe Venturelli
"Peace, love, happiness." - Erin Caird
"Surfing brings me excitement, I literally sometimes run up the beach to get in the water faster, it is an adventure - not just traveling to an exotic locale to surf good waves but the adventure of being in the ocean and experiencing its moods and power. It means peace and contentment and it opens the door to an experience of nature and the wonder of our world that is unique but an experience that has spread around the world." - Don Campbell
"I do not believe in God. But I do believe that surfing has been a blessing for me. No matter how small or how mediocre the waves, I always feel the surge of endorphins rushing through me afterwards. Surfing has been a great source of joy and health, and for that I am forever grateful." - Andy Newman
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about getting in the water. I feel so fortunate to have found an endeavor early in my life that I am absolutely and completely passionate about! Throughout my life, no matter what challenges I have faced on land, I know that, I’ll always have the ocean. Surfing saved my life. For it is there, that I am home”. - Heather Hudson
“Surfing is my refuge. Which is kinda funny because I surf one of the most crowded spots on the coast! Even so, surfing is a solace to my heart, it brightens my spirit, it refreshes my mind, it challenges my body, and it connects me to my water tribe. It coerces me out of bed in the dark before dawn. It sends me into dreamtime steeped in the ocean’s rhythms at day’s end. To me, surfing is the great leveler: it brings together a huge variety of people who, through sometimes bumpy encounters, together share this love of wave riding.” - Heather Tiddens
"Surfing is an important part of a full life." - John Grube
"A wonderful experience, growing up and surfing in Southern California for all of us." - Bob Nussbaum
"Surfing is a part of me, just as I am a part of it. Surfing gives me freedom to enjoy the ocean and ride some waves, finding harmony with the rhythms of the earth. As a way of life; Surfing affects my decisions, my relationships and friendships. It is my: escape, exercise, solace, adrenaline for living. Surfing is the coolest experience. There is nothing else like it." - Eric Skaar
"Surfing is a privilege that I wish everyone could experience. To be in the water, to ride a wave, to be playing in the ocean in such a way that surfing delivers is more than a sport, it is a way of life and a way to connect with nature, to be humbled, and stoked all in one go out. Surfing adds a dimension to my life I will be forever grateful for." - Alison Grube
"Surfing brings true peace to my soul. A connection with the rhythms of nature that goes beyond the surfing experience. I couldn't imagine a better life than surfing and enjoying the ocean with my family here in Santa Barbara." - Jenny Keet
"Surfing is my exercise and my therapy, my inspiration and my distraction, and the single biggest influence in my life. But it's not all about the waves, it's about being away from the rat race and being in the moment. The walk into nature, the paddle out, the waiting for a set, they're all integral parts of the experience, and the waves are just the frosting on the cake." - Tom Modugno
"I am who I am because of the sea, it is what makes me me. Salty and free, wild with glee. Surfing is where I'd rather be. When I come back next life, I still want to be a surfer." - Aubrey Rose Falk
"I am so blessed to be able to go out and enjoy the ocean. It brings me endless hours of adventure. Surfing has kept me forever young, and it's always good to get my gills wet!" - Brian Edwards
"For me life moves in waves. I’m surrounded by physical waves like water, light, sound, weather, health, work - but also waves like emotions, relationships, and family. 20 + years ago I found that my dedication to the practice and the pursuit of riding waves is great training for finding balance in all of my life's ever-changing waves. I will definitely be surfing till a ripe old age, convinced that the act of surfing and the immersion into the nature of the ocean is pure health for my body, mind, and spirit." - John Birchim
"Surfing for 50 out of 63 years of my life is crazy! It's an obsession, a love/ hate, relationship. That I hope will never end." - Deb Trauntvein
"Surfing to me is not only fun but it’s about the healthy lifestyle you get. I’ve used surfing as a therapy to get through tough times and it’s worked quite well. I plan on using it as long as I can! Aloha." - Mike Furner
"Surfing is the perfect combination of fun and challenge. There is really nothing like it. What a gift is has been!" - Char Harris
“Surfing gives me the ability to explore a different way of life. It’s been my teacher, a parent, and a humbling guide. Most importantly, it’s a tool to experience a higher vibration of energy.” - Laura Goe
"Surfing is life! I live to surf. Surfing has been a part of my life since I was 16. It keeps me young, grounded and happy. Too long out of the water and I feel like a fish out of water and my gills start to dry up. When it is 4-6' and glassy, I am in my element." - Simone Reddingius
"Surfing is the washing machine for the mind. It clears out the cobwebs. Leaves you feeling clean and refreshed." - Denny Aaberg
"The ocean is a sanctuary that makes me feel alive and free. And surfing has me going back to it over and over again. It slows me down and keeps me in the moment. The first thing I do each time I paddle out is realize I’m there… laying on my board, floating on the Pacific. And then I say a prayer of gratitude. I love to study the water drops on my board, be close to seals, dolphins, and pelicans. Surfing’s brought me some amazing friends too… true characters with big hearts. What can be better than all that?" - Nancy Masse
"I have been drawn to the ocean since childhood. Then surfing and the fun sensation of gliding on a wave took hold of me. That pursuit of fun has turned into an addiction that has shaped my life in a lot of ways.... mostly for the better!" - Jeff Keough
"Surfing is symmetry and form. It is shape and function. It is movement and celebration. Surfing holds great mystery. The treasures are bountiful. Pure stoke for instance. Smiles of grandeur and awe inhabit those faces touched by surf both small and gigantic; not to mention fear! Surf is also all about sound and sight and touch. Looking over the horizon at increasing lines of swell undulating and arriving from swirling storms high in the Aleutians or lows off the coast of New Zealand has me giddy with goosebumps. Touching the face as we glide; touching perfection. Listening to the sucking muffled vortex as your within has its profound effects too. I'm enthralled with all aspects of surfing. It makes us stronger. It challenges us in profound ways; protocol, sharing, ego, pride, humility, breath and dexterity. I honestly can say my life is fuller and richer from such surfing endeavors. Fellow surfers thank you! Thank you for showing me that road less traveled and those cold star-encrusted nights waiting until dawn to put on a wet wetsuit. I'll conspire with you soon again my shifty, tidal moon fetched partner. I'll swoon in your embrace!" - Ned Bowler
“Just being in the saltwater and experiencing the energy of the ocean is always refreshing to me, both physically and mentally.” - Jim Winter
“When I think about what makes surfing so important to me, it is about the connection to the place, the people, and the thing. Having the opportunity to create a relationship with a world class wave like Rincon is a truly special experience. I also look forward to being reunited with what I call my “other family” that I only see during the winter months. Then, there is the surfboard, which acts like a “divining rod” to make the riding of waves possible.” - Tony Miller
“Surfing is yin and yang: relaxation and rejuvenation, stress and release, social and solitary, complicated and simple, passive and aggressive. My best and my worst experiences in life have some relationship to surfing. As much as I enjoy other sports, none match the unique experience of riding the gift of a wave from mother nature. I'm so grateful to have enjoyed that gift for most of my life.” - Sally Saenger
“Freedom - Tribal - Spiritual.” - Bill Urbany
“To me surfing is a therapy, even if I’m just sitting in the ocean with no waves I feel a sense of relaxation and enjoyment. The ocean and surfing is always a place for me to go and think or reflect. The ocean is my second home.” - Matty Pierce
“Surfing is when I feel most free. When things in my life are stressful, surfing centers me. After that first wave, whatever has been weighing on my heart is lifted away, and all that is left behind is joy.” - Kathy Goeden
“Surfing to me is - The smell of the low tide, the wind and the spray. It's a place, for a moment, time stands still. Because in those moments, all that matters is making that wave. It's my fuel, my release. A place where my cares have wings and fly right of my shoulders. Surfing to me is ... Freedoms safest place.” - Joe Martinelli
“Blessed to have had surfing as the driving influence in the direction my life and work took. The multitude of friends and acquaintances are and will continue to be priceless.” - Roger Nance
“What surfing has meant to me has been a feeling of lifelong passion and adventure! As they say only a surfer knows the feeling.” - Kim Robinson
“Surfing is fun; surfing is hard, it will frustrate you, but at the core surfing will bring you happiness unlike any other experience.” - Paul de Bruyn Kops
“Surfing makes me happy. I love the animals in the ocean and I love the feeling of being out in the waves.” - Becket Eason
“Surfing is a tool of connection for me. There are a handful of activities in my life that help me to connect with my Creator. Surfing is one. It also has been a way to connect with some very special people. A connection with a tribe of folks who understand as few others can.” - Kevin English
“Surfing means sharing a joyful experience, outdoors, on the water, in a sacred place, with good friends. It’s a chance to dance with whatever your idea of God is. For me, it’s not a Slam Dance, a Disco move or The Twist. It’s a graceful glide on a dynamic dance floor. You are holding your partner close. The noise in your head goes away. There is only the music of the wave, the connection, and the moment. That second of dropping into a wave is like a prelude to a kiss.” - George “Duke” Howard
“I love the ocean, whether I am surfing, boating or just driving past it. I have been surfing here for 52 years and I am still stoked to get out in the water. I feel very blessed that my family and I live in an awesome town with so many great beaches available to us.” - Kenny Jorgenson
“In my experience good surfing is an accumulation of raw, enticing, and magical stoke”. - Cosmo Catalfimo
"Surfing fills me with a smooth peaceful energy. After I surf, my mood is elevated and I am happy." - Joe diBruynkops