It is amazing how integral the captured image is to surfing. Obviously this magazine for instance, wouldn’t be much if it wasn’t for all the beautiful images our photographers capture. And In the case of the Vans Digital Triple Crown of Surfing, the surfers rides being filmed is half the game. If a ride isn’t captured on video it can’t be scored.
While the official submissions to the Vans Triple Crown were all shot from land, one photographer who was in the water for almost all of the Backdoor and Pipeline action this season is this month’s cover photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig.
Chachi has been staying front and center to the infamous peak at the Volcom house, and has had a fish eyes view to this winter’s action, including this Backdoor Bomb of the 2021 Vans Digital Triple Crown Champion, John John Florence. “After one of the worst early seasons I can recall in recent memory, The North Shore has come alive with maybe the best run of Pipe swells imaginable,” said Chachi. “January’s consistency coincided perfectly with this year’s Vans Triple Crown and many of the best surfers in the world were posted up at Pipeline, day in and day out, taking full advantage of this magic run. After getting ridiculously drained during Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, JJF’s Pipe reps were already high and he kept that momentum going by catching some of the season’s best waves and winning this year’s Vans Triple Crown in the process.”