Capturing Waves in Underwater Photography

Photography Tips  •  Underwater Photography

As a 10 year old, Mark Tipple remembers sitting in a surf shop flipping through the pages of a surfing magazine and coming across an inspiring image that would change his life. The photograph, taken by Brian Beilmann, was an underwater shot of two surf photographers clinging onto coral with one hand and grasping camera in the other as a massive wave rumbled over the top of them in Teahupoo, Tahiti. “I remember thinking about what whent through that photographers mind to think, “Hey, I’m in trouble here, too, but I wonder what those guys are going through?'”

Nineteen years later, Ripple experienced a moment much like the one Beilmann endured. Mark swam out to a surf break one afternoon with his 11-pound camera in tow, as he dove under water to avoid being smashed by a wave, he pulled up his camera and fired off a shot of his fellow swimmers. Take a look at his amazing niche of underwater photography here:

The picture perfectly captured the contorted faces and would be the beginning of a Ripple’s series of photographs, The Underwater Project. The project would end up taking Ripple around the world, here are some of the amazing results: