• ncj2_11-19-16
    Before the contest started, we heard there was a cetacean that had washed up on shore. We all tried our best to get it back in the water, but each effort led it to return. Somber start to the day despite our efforts.
  • ncj4_11-19-16
    Pre-contest talk, ready and surveying the conditions
  • ncj5_11-19-16
    The pre-sunrise walk out to the lineup.
  • ncj7_11-19-16
    Jay Barbieri finding the tube and the win for the first heat of the day.
  • ncj8_11-19-16
    Attempting to make the drop, or find the sweet spot of the wave, this actually ended up being an award for best wipeout.
  • ncj10_11-19-16
    Austin Bengert, pulling into the barrel.
  • ncj11_11-19-16
    Making the drop almost gave you a high enough score to get through to the next round.
  • ncj11-19-16
    Surfing under a rainbow. How much better can it get?
  • ncj13_11-19-16
    The spectator site. Sadly, we had torrential rain for the last three hours of the contest. These tents made a great place to stay dry and still enjoy the action.
  • ncj14_11-19-16
    A contestant goes off the top for a score that gets him through to the next heat.
  • ncj15_11-19-16
    A surfer executes one of the rare turns of the competition.
  • ncj17_11-19-16
    A contestant laying into a part of the wave coming at him.
  • ncj18_11-19-16
    Mitch Ward, eyeing the section down the line for a turn.
  • ncj19_11-19-16
    An empty one, a gorgeous wave nobody caught.
  • ncj20_11-19-16
    Spectators from the beach and beyond came out to enjoy the action from above.
  • ncj21_11-19-16
    The judges headquarters for the contest. Up on the hill, overlooking the entire beach to make sure they don’t miss anything.
  • ncj23_11-19-16
    Mike Kotowski, doing the turns that got him onto the podium.
  • ncj24_11-19-16
    Chris Johnson, who put the contest together, couldn’t help himself from entering. He lost, but seems just fine with that.
  • ncj25_11-19-16
    One of the few barrels of the day.
  • ncj26_11-19-16
    A top turn on a section of wave about to crash over — a difficult but rewarding maneuver.
  • ncj27_11-19-16
    Attempting to turn a mere 5 feet from a rock.
  • ncj29_11-19-16
    The horn that lets the surfers in the water know when their heat starts and finishes.
  • ncj30_11-19-16
    Everyone checking the results to see who is in the final heat.
  • ncjfinal1_11-19-16
    Cheyne Downing with the wave he almost rode to victory in the final.
  • ncjfinal2_11-19-16
    The award ceremony in which Mike Kotowski found out he not only won the contest but $1,000. Cheyne Downing took second place and Jay Barbieri took third.

Sean Jansen is a freelance photojournalist based in Humboldt County. He specializes in capturing the...