Can it get any better having a Hurricane with your name on it take the perfect track up the east coast sending an epic swell to the Florida coast on your birthday? That's what happened to me and as a surfer / photographer it really doesn't get any better than that. I headed to one of my favorite spots that was firing on all cylinders and soon found myself surrounded in action. If it wasn't happening out in the lineup something else always seemed to be going on around me and I never got a chance to put my camera down. Rippers in the water and critters on land were my targets and that's a good thing.

The surf was near perfect on Saturday and I watched right after right reel off for a few hundred yards. Inside was steep and deep and both lineups provided a challenge for those that paddled out. One thing I noticed were the many girls that charged the surf and handled it well. It was nice to see them surf like surfers and not like girls. They had the mechanics down and that along with the proper stance and weight distribution had them riding with style. I guess things have changed since I first paddled out over thirty five years ago and I'm not complaining one bit. This gallery features pictures I took on Saturday during the peak of the swell and Sunday as Hurricane Bill began to lose his grip on Florida's east coast. I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday than a day at the beach with perfect waves, lots of sun and no wind to blow out all my candles. Here are a few galleries of my favorites pictures.