In the summer of 2017, on a warm and peaceful afternoon, I jumped into the water at Bronte Beach, where I live, hoping to cool off and catch a few waves. At first, the conditions were relatively calm—just three to four footers rolling in, playful and inviting. I was having the time of my life body surfing, swimming, and riding the waves for nearly an hour. Then everything changed.
Out of nowhere, the wind picked up and shifted the entire mood of the ocean. Within what felt like minutes, the swell jumped to six or seven feet. The water grew darker, the rhythm more aggressive. Bronte Beach, once friendly and serene, transformed into a wild, swirling mess—a washing machine of raw power. The lifeguards quickly closed the beach.
But while swimmers were forced to retreat, the surfers came alive. The eastern suburbs coastline had suddenly turned into a surfer’s paradise. The shift in wind had lit up the entire stretch of coast, and the waves were now thundering in with force and near-perfect shape.
I grabbed my camera and ran over to Tamarama, just a few hundred metres away. Tamarama is small but fierce—tucked between two rugged headlands and facing directly into the swell. On days like this, it often picks up bigger sets than Bronte. Surfers love it, but swimmers fear it. It’s one of the most dangerous patrolled beaches in New South Wales—and that afternoon, it showed exactly why.
The waves were pounding the shore with brute strength. Surfers dropped in fearlessly, only to be hurled into the air like rag dolls. One surfer launched so high off a wave that he looked like a bird—blasted from a cannon and soaring through the spray before crashing back down. That moment became the photograph I later titled The Hunting Eagle.
The ocean that day reminded me why I respect it so deeply. It’s a living force—calm one moment, raging the next. What started as a lazy summer swim turned into a front-row seat to nature’s fury. And as much as it offered beauty and thrill, it also demanded reverence.
The Hunting Eagle is more than just a photo. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change. Of how the ocean can switch from friend to wild beast in an instant. And how small we really are when nature decides to show its full strength.