For his first trip to Hawaii, Gold Coast photographer Josh Bystrom – who’s the son of legendary filmmaker Chris Bystrom – has jagged it.

Every season there’s one period where the swells just doesn’t stop. Could be early November, could be late January. This year it was mid-to-late December, which perfectly overlapped with Josh’s trip.

With so much swell he’s been busy. Not one to rest on a sole angle, Josh has been climbing hillsides in Pupukea, clearing thickets for a fresh view of Pipe, he’s been swimming – which is his specialty – nailing water shots as North Pac fusillades explode just inches from his Churchills, the reverberations felt throughout his body, and when he found out the Eddie would run, he organised a photographic pentathalon of sorts: beach view, headland view, drone view, his roaming camera cocked and ready to fire.

Here’s Josh’s shots from the eleventh running of the Eddie Aikau Invitational. Another epic instalment of the surfing world’s greatest contest.

– Swellnet