After a landlocked decade in the North Country, I’d kind of given up hope of living near the ocean again. I cancelled my Surfers Journal subscription and resigned myself to a few surfs a year down in Florida and other occasional seaside destinations.

I was wrong. We moved to Maine and it’s a surfer’s paradise. I can be suited up and in the water in about 15-20 minutes and the waves are incredible. The relief is indescribable.

For a while in September, I would dawn patrol at Long Sands in York and be greeted by a big red sun rising up right behind the iconic Nubble Lighthouse. It’s a real scene, even early in the morning. (This shot was at 6:20am.) There are people out doing yoga on the beach, gabbing and drinking coffee, walking their dogs, etc. I convinced the fam to join me one day and they had a great time too, even if we did pay for it with grumpy kids later in the day.