This terrifying Hawaiian wave could have killed photographer Andrew Carruthers, but he just ‘had to’ get the shot.
The Mount Coolum 55-year-old has a passion for surf pictures that seemingly knows no boundaries.
Few immerse themselves in their art like this waterman and putting his body on the line comes with the territory.
“You have to risk it for the biscuit,” he says.
It was on the famous North Shore of Oahu, at Ke Iki Beach, where he copped his biggest beating five years ago.
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“It was right around dusk and hardly anybody was around,” he said.
“It (the beach) drops away really quickly, so you can get some dramatic shorebreak shots.
“The wave breaks almost on dry sand, which is really just a thin layer covering the reef.”
Double overhead waves crashed around and one crunched Mr Carruthers.
“It (the surf) was quite big, and I got dragged over, backwards,” he said.
“I hit my leg and hyper-extended my knee.
“I had to swim around for about 20 minutes, waiting for the waves to get small enough to come in.
“It was quite dark when I got to the beach and I tried to stand up but my knee was just going backwards.”
Mr Carruthers crawled up the beach and was eventually put in the back of a pick-up truck and taken to hospital.
The extent of his injuries became clear: a fractured tibia and tibial plateau, a ruptured posterior ligament and a torn medial cruciate ligament.
If that wasn’t enough, he sustained deep vein thrombosis on the long flight back to Australia.
He spent three months in a wheelchair and a year out of action, before he finally returned to the water and the job he loves.
“It (the surf) can be pretty full-on,” he said.
“But I’ve been doing it a long time and Mother Nature just likes to remind you that she’s the boss.”
Mr Carruthers admitted he’s prepared to wear the brunt of waves.
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“I stand my ground until the last second to take the photo,” he said.
“Sometimes there’s a bit of extra energy in the wave and it drags you over … but I tend to risk it for the biscuit.
“I’ll take some risks to capture the art the way I want to see it, which is really right at that last second.
“A lot of photographers dive through waves but I’m there until the last second.”
He opts for different equipment than most, to get the job done.
“’I’ve made it difficult for myself because I’m shooting with a 200mm lens to capture the images the way I want to. It’s a much longer, heavier lens.”
“I’m actually shooting the wave next to me and the wave right where I am, so I’ve got to be aware of it.”
He developed his enthusiasm for photography more than 25 years ago, after leaving the Air Force.
“I was discharged medically unfit. I worked with F-111 fuel tanks and I got quite sick,” he said.
“I’ve been interested in it since.”
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He said photography had provided him with an outlet after health issues and leaving the military.
“Connecting with nature and finding beauty in things that are all around us is really important to me,” he said.
“It helps me stay grounded … and for my wellbeing. It’s a very mindful exercise.
“I’ve just got to concentrate on where the wave is, what I see and how I want to capture it … you’ve really got to be in the moment.
“It’s also a great way to start the day, so I’m in the water half-an-hour before dawn and I leave about 15 minutes after dawn, so everyone’s arriving at the beach and I’m hopping in the car and driving home.”
He’s developed a fondness for surf fine art, but he enjoys taking photos of nature in general.
“I love the mountains, overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains, and I love Noosa National Park,” he said.
“I live in front of Mt Coolum and around the mountain is beautiful as well.”
But Mooloolaba Beach is probably his favourite location.
“A lot of my photos are taken there, but it’s (about) looking at familiar things differently, finding the beauty in them through different angles and different light,” he said.
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He’s taken pictures around the world, as a photographer for the World Surf League’s longboard tour.
Destinations have included China, Taiwan, Japan, Sri Lanka and Italy.
“We travel to places where the short board world tour doesn’t go, and we get to see some really interesting cultures and emerging surf cultures,” he said.
It was in China, where he was assigned his nickname, after a group of local women started taking selfies with him on the beach.
“I’m a pretty hairy and tall guy. One of these ladies rubbed my hairy arm and said” ‘Oh you Panda’.
“Some of the pro surfers overheard and I’ve been nicknamed Panda ever since.
“I’m a water photography specialist so the name AquaPanda just flowed.”
Hawaii is another favourite destination, where he has shot alongside the likes of renowned American photographer Clark Little on several occasions.
Mr Carruthers has just got out of a moon boot after his latest incident at Mooloolaba, where he fractured his ankle and ruptured two ligaments.
“I got dragged backwards by a wave and hyper-extended my foot, and the wave’s weight came down on me,” he said.
“I thought I could shake it off so I shot for a bit longer.
“Then I hobbled up the beach and it got worse as the day went on, so I went to ER.”
He’s now doing physio to get strength back and is shooting by the edge of the water, until he can return.
Mr Carruthers said injuries won’t stop him from getting up close and personal with the waves.
“It’s a great art to pursue,” he said.
“We all go to the beach, but we don’t always see things the way I capture them.
“It’s good to see things from a different perspective.”
Mr Carruthers is a valued, regular contributor to sunshinecoastnews.com.au
You can see his images at http://andrewcarruthersphotography.com/
