the smell of salt water

Miami Beach, FL – January 28, 2009 – I remember this day vividly. The smell of the salt water seemed foreign to me in the depth of Winter. The wind blew cold, the ocean felt close to freezing. I thought, my cousin must be an idiot if he thinks he’s going surfing right now. But there he stood stripping down to his board shorts and slipping into his wetsuit. As he walked towards the water I remember looking at this soldier going into battle with his board as a weapon to conquer the waves. I quickly picked up my camera and captured the final moments before his feet went numb.