Sunday morning brought hazardous conditions to Santa Cruz with a combination of high tide and large surf. One unfortunate body boarder found himself pushed up against the rocks and he surely would have died if not for the quick actions of some onlookers. They grabbed a life preserver and he managed to get it around himself so they could pull him to safety. It was a grisly reminder of the ocean’s brutal power. 

This beach is a magnet for swell. After photographing the sunrise I spent some time shooting the sets and watching huge bombs hit the beach. I was a little surprised to see two body boarders paddle out but didn’t think much of it at the time. In the photos below, you can see the young man who was injured just after this set. I hope he is ok and continues to explore the ocean with a little more caution for his experience. Since I moved to the West Side of Santa Cruz in August, I’ve been able to do more in depth studies of various spots along this stretch of coastline. On this particular night, I drove out to this spot and waited for ten minutes after the sun had set until this bloom of color happened.   My love of BBQ continues to flourish. This is from Mission St. BBQ.This week we also visited The Shakespeare Society of America with Gary Irving.

Eleven weeks ago Jackie Evans started working with Jake J Thomas Photo as a photo assistant. Here she is being a good sport wearing some of the costumes at The Shakespeare Society of America with Gary Irving. She recently started an Instagram account featuring her macro photography. You can follow her HERE: >> Jackiemacro

El Niño has been very active lately. Waking up to amazing sunrises when the ocean is alive with swell makes this place something special. 

Cremer House continues to deliver excellent high end comfort food.