The Plight of the Torpedo People
Anyone who has paddled out into the ocean to bodysurf probably knows the feeling of realizing you are about to get pummeled. I first had that feeling in Laguna Beach, California, during a storm surf, when a wave grabbed hold of my swim fins and bent my body with such force that one of my heels hit me in the back of my head. Fortunately I was young and pliant then, and I escaped scared and humbled but otherwise unscathed. I'm reminded of that moment looking throught the images in The Plight of the Torpedo People, a book of photos that are exhilarating in their depiction of far superior bodysurfers than I. The book was created as a companion for the documentary film Come Hell or Hight Water by Keith Malloy, which has received critical acclaim and film festival awards. The majority of the images in the book were made by surf photographer Chris Burkard, with additional images and frame grabs contributed by Malloy and other cast and crew members. (Conor RischPDN2013-12-01)