Snappers snap up the best spots at Snapper Rocks
WHILE the surfers battle for the best rides as a powerful surf hits the Gold Coast, the real war of the waves is being fought among the pack of photographers battling for the best shots.
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WHILE the surfers battle for the best rides as a powerful surf hits the Gold Coast, the real war of the waves is being fought among the pack of photographers battling for the best shots.
More than seven photographers have been seen jostling for position on just one wave at Snapper Rocks this week, with plenty more to come as the Quiksilver Pro hits town next week.
Construction of the $5-million, two-storey temporary competition headquarters on the beach at Rainbow Bay is starting to take shape.
Locals say more than 20 out-of-town photographers are expected will join the dozen local professionals who regularly shoot the area for the 11-day competition.
“The last couple of days have just been manic,” said photographer Simon “Swilly” Williams.
“At the end of the day I get back to shore and thank God that I’m in one piece.”
The respected photographer has been shooting Gold Coast pro surfers Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison for more than 20 years.
Williams said the crowds of surfers at Gold Coast breaks over the past two months had been the most intense he had ever seen.
“There have never been so many people here after New Year — I don’t know if it’s the low Australian dollar but I’ve noticed a lot of people from Sydney in the water,”
“It can be dangerous — I’ve heard of guys losing their eyeballs.
Venezuelan-born surf photographer Juan Medina said the snappers would come from around the world, including the US, Japan, Brazil and South Africa and jostle for the best position in the waves.
“It’s so hard to get in a good position behind the rocks (at Snapper Rocks) with everyone moving around,” Medina said.
With ideal surf set to continue until next week, the photographers are packing out Snapper Rocks with cameras worth up to $10,500 a piece, hoping to get the money shot for the world’s surfing magazines, as well as television and internet channels.
Photographer Scott Amos, 48, who has been surfing Coolangatta since he was a teen, said he decided to shoot from the shore on Monday because there were too many surfers and photographers in the water.
“It was the most crowded that I’ve ever seen it,” he said.
“Swimming with a camera in the surf is like swimming with an 8kg brick strapped to your arm.
“It leaves you with just one arm to swim while you dodge surfers flying past at warp speed.”
Gold Coast Tourism called in Mick Fanning to spruik the southern end of the city in November last year and marketing director Michelle Stone said she was thrilled with the exposure the photographers were giving the city.
“It’s no coincidence the world’s best surfing photographers are showing an increasing interest in the Gold Coast and its competitions,” Ms Stone said.
“We will always support any positive coverage or imagery of the Gold Coast — the surfing capital of Australia.”