Tom Hoy has photographed some of the best that surfing has to offer, from current world number one Gabriel Medina to local Newcastle up-and-comers…

With years of experience in the game, you’d think Tom would’ve already captured some of the biggest swells and their dauntless chasers. That was, until a recent a pulse of turbulence hit the coast of New South Wales in the final week of winter.

In what saw grisly conditions all up and down the east coast from Coffs Harbour to Jervis Bay, the massive run of swell could be deemed by many as un-surfable. But a few brave paddlers at Merewether beach in Newcastle called the ocean’s bluff, daring to ride the eight-to-ten maelstroms being unleashed on the shores.

What Tom captured is nothing short of biblical. Shifting between shots of high performance surfing and the epic awe of the ocean at its most relentless, Tom finds his sweet spot in the messiness. A testament to nature’s raw primordial power, the collection is doused in a mix of salt, foam and sea-spray. But even amidst the deluge, Tom finds the quieter moments, from the settling of a post-wave dump to a sea bird hovering over the wreckage. 

“I wanted to capture the beauty amongst the chaos; the waves rolling in and the brief mutant structures they hold for 1/2000th of a second,” Tom says. 

Peep the full Merewether collection below, and follow Tom on Instagram for more snaps like this.