Huck Magazine - Swatch Girls Pro
I got sent on assignment to Hossegor in France by Huck Magazine, to photograph the Swatch Girls Pro.
The competition was a 6* event that's part of the ASP Women's World Surfing Championship; The commission gave me a unique opportunity to photograph some of the sports top athletes in a dramatic coastal environment.
Hossegor is one of the world's top surfing spots; With the Bay of Biscay providing a consistently large swell, surfing and wave iconography is omnipresent.
The beach at Seignosse, Hossegor.
Bruna Schmitz (BRA) and Coco Ho (USA) head out to compete in the 'Expression Sessions' - a head to head competition where the surfers work in teams of 3 to produce the best moves over a gruelling 45 mins in the water.
Courtney Conlogue (USA) - currently #1 in the ASP world rankings.
Seignosse beach is packed as the final rounds of the Swatch Girls Pro get under way.
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) - currently #12 in the world, and the winner of the Swatch Girls Pro 2011.
Sage Erickson (USA) catching a wave in the final round of the competition.
Young surfers (aka 'Groms') cheer on their hero Sally Fitzgibbons.
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) competes in the final round of the competition.
Sage Erickson (l) and Sally Fitzgibbons (r) congratulate each other after the final round.
A successful event in Hossegor for Sally Fitzgibbons - she takes home the Swatch Girls Pro title and is on the receiving end of a regulation dowsing with champagne.