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Haleakalā can feel almost completely disconnected from the tropical island below. From near 10,000 feet, you’re looking thousands of feet down across volcanic terrain, cinder cones and clouds moving through the crater.

What caught me here was the contrast — dark volcanic earth disappearing straight into a sea of clouds.

Caught this rider right as he hit the section and threw up a wall of spray defying gravity. Crazy action with beefy waves and wind unrelenting. [OC]

I live on Maui, and mine would still be the North Shore. I never get tired of the changing ocean, the beaches, and the size and intensity of the waves. I enjoy just seeing how different one day is from the next on any North Shore location.

If you had one more day on Maui, where would you spend it?

A windsurfer launches above the powerful turquoise surf at Hoʻokipa Beach on Maui’s North Shore. Spray, speed, and open-ocean energy capture one of Maui’s most iconic windsurfing scenes.

Caught this split-second wipeout in the surf at Hoʻokipa Beach on Maui’s North Shore. Board flying, surfer airborne, and another surfer paddling right through the action. One of those chaotic Hoʻokipa moments that lasts only a fraction of a second.

Every winter the North Shore of Maui comes alive. Powerful Pacific swells meet the island’s famous trade winds, creating a playground where windsurfers of all skill levels try their luck to launch, carve, and fly across turquoise waves. Capturing this split second—board, sail, spray, and all—reminds me why Ho‘okipa is one of the most exciting places on Earth to photograph.