My dad turns 76 this month.

My dad turns 76 years-old this month. I am thinking about it a lot.

Three years ago, I became a dad to my sons. It was different experience than most. I didn't come home form a hospital with a fresh carseat in the back. No, we got a call the day before, put out an APB to our network asking for help, drove an hour south with two used carseats in the back and came home a dad to two amazing sons. What we did have in common with the majority of parents: NO EARTHLY CLUE what we were doing. Sleepless nights followed, but not always for the typical reasons.

Overnight my world changed. 

It was amazing and amazingly hard. There was more than one moment where I thought I had nothing left to give. Discouraged by my failures, overwhelmed by my lack of wisdom, lost in exhaustion and feeling like I was way over-my-head, I didn't want to quit, I just didn't know how to continue.

One of the staples in that process was my dad. He's a rock! Probably the most gentle, patient and loving rock you'll ever meet, but a rock nonetheless. I know my childhood energy was a lot to handle. Maybe I didn't carry the same weight of trauma my sons do, but it was tough, I am sure. He taught me so much more than I could express. In part, because I am still understanding all of it.

At the beginning of the summer, it hit me. My time with my dad is limited. 

Truth be told, our time with anyone is limited, we just don't know the extent of those limits. What we do know is that with every passing year, those limits get closer and closer. I knew what I needed to do.

That night, my wife and I sat down, looked at our budget and sent out a few texts. A few months later, with an underwater housing for my camera in tow, we were stuffing our baggage and all my camera gear into our car and heading to the airport.

You see, surfing has been such an integral part of my life and relationship with my father. I know how to read the ocean because of my dad. I have surfed some of the most epic spots on the california coast because of my dad. I have charge 15' faces on a little 6'2" potato chip of a board because of my dad. I have grown into the man I am today in part because of the time I spent with my dad chasing waves and riding them as long as we could. 

From life advice to story-telling, theology debates to relationship counseling, we talked about everything and I listened (sometimes). I wish I had been wise enough to listen more. Then we surfed.

I wanted to capture this. 

It was never going to be sufficient, but it would be a start. Truth be told, it was so much more than I anticipated. 

See the full collection.