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Chasing the Swell: Big Wave Surfing Through the Pacific

A new interactive L.A. Times video feature highlights the terrifying and jaw-dropping world of competitive big wave surfing.


Chasing the Swell: Big Wave Surfing Through the Pacific is a remarkable new interactive video feature on the Los Angeles Times website that highlights the sometimes terrifying and often jaw-dropping world of competitive big wave surfing. Produced by Sachi Cunningham, it exists at the intersection of documentary story-telling and robust online fun. The release coincides with the start of the the big wave contest season (which kicked off last week).

The three-part video documentary explores the harrowing sport in Hawaii, California, and Mexico, and its interactive mapping feature allows users to follow swells to big wave locations around the world. It's fantastic to get such an intimate look at a lifestyle few people could manage; it's also really fun to mouse over the video thumbnails on the landing page.

Header photo of Rusty Long by Todd Glaser