Saltburn Open Surf Competition 2023 – Surf Photography

The Saltburn Open Surf Competition 2023 brought surfers from the local area and further afield together at Saltburn-by-the-Sea on the Yorkshire coast.

Saltburn is one of the best-known surfing locations in Yorkshire and has a strong connection with the wider North East surfing community. When a surf competition takes place, the beach becomes a great place to watch surfers compete, catch up with friends and enjoy the atmosphere around the event.

I was at Saltburn with my camera to photograph the Saltburn Open 2023, capturing the surfers, waves and atmosphere from the beach and seafront.

Photographing the Saltburn Open

Photographing a surf competition is about much more than simply pointing a camera at surfers riding waves.

I was looking for the moments that tell the story of the competition — surfers paddling out, waiting for the right wave, taking off, turning on the wave face and finishing their rides.

Surf photography can be challenging because the action is constantly changing. You have to watch the surfers, anticipate where they are going to take off and be ready to follow them through the ride.

Saltburn also gives photographers some great opportunities because of its famous pier.

The pier can be used as part of the composition, giving photographs a recognisable Saltburn-by-the-Sea backdrop while keeping the surfers and waves as the main subject.

For the 2023 competition, I was able to capture both the action in the water and some of the atmosphere around the event.

Surfers and people featured in my Saltburn Open photographs

I’ve been able to identify a number of surfers and people from the local surfing community who feature in my photographs from the Saltburn Open 2023 and around the event.

I’ve included their Instagram accounts where I have them. If you recognise yourself or someone you know in the photographs, hopefully this makes it easier to find them.

James Othick — @james.othick
Theo — @theo_409
Carl McK — @carljmck
Josh Austin — @joshyyyaustin
Ben Wait — @ben__wait
Bill Bobaggins — @billbobaggins__
Tom Cross — @tomcro55
Noah Topliss — @noah.topliss
Cillian Waves — @cillian_waves
Luke Kell — @luke_kell_surf
Simon White — @simon.white.395
Luce Unitz — @luceunitz
Evan Rogers – Saltburn Surf Shop — @saltburnsurfshop
Joe Evans
Tom Furtherfolk — @tom_furtherfolk

These are some of the people I have been able to identify from my photographs and records from the event.

If I’ve missed anyone, or if you recognise yourself in one of the photographs and would like to be credited, please get in touch with me through Instagram.

Surfing at Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Saltburn has a long history of surfing and has become one of the most recognisable surf spots on the Yorkshire coast.

The waves and conditions can change considerably depending on the swell, wind and tide, making every surf session slightly different.

When the conditions are working, Saltburn can provide some excellent waves for surfers and plenty of opportunities for surf photographers.

For photography, the combination of the beach, town, cliffs and Saltburn Pier makes the location particularly interesting.

The pier is especially useful as a photographic landmark, helping to show exactly where the photographs were taken while providing a strong backdrop to the surfing action.

My Guide to Surfing at Saltburn

If you’re interested in surfing at Saltburn, I’ve put together a more detailed guide covering the location and what you need to know about surfing there.

Read my Guide to Surfing at Saltburn-by-the-Sea →

The guide is part of my wider collection of Yorkshire surfing guides, covering surf locations around the Yorkshire and North East coast.

The Saltburn Open Surf Competition 2023

The Saltburn Open is part of the competitive surfing scene around Yorkshire and the North East, bringing surfers together to compete in the waves at Saltburn.

The 2023 event provided plenty of opportunities to photograph surfers as they looked for the best waves and tried to put together their rides.

For me, one of the most interesting parts of photographing a competition is the unpredictability.

You can have a surfer sitting quietly waiting for a wave and, seconds later, they can be racing down the face of a wave and performing a turn.

That means being ready all the time.

Saltburn Open 2023 photographs

Below is some of photographs from the Saltburn Open Surf Competition 2023.

The gallery contains photographs I took during the event from the beach at Saltburn more can be found on instagram

If you recognise yourself, a friend or another surfer in the photographs, feel free to get in touch.

If you’re one of the surfers pictured, you’re also welcome to share the photographs on social media with credit back to Howardsenton – Images By Howard Senton.

My Saltburn surf photography

The Saltburn Open 2023 was another opportunity for me to develop my surf photography and gain experience photographing competitive surfing.

Surf competitions are a great challenge for a photographer because you don’t control the action.

You have to anticipate where the surfer is likely to take off, choose your composition, keep the surfer in focus and follow them through the wave.

Getting the timing right can make the difference between an ordinary photograph and an image that captures the speed, power and movement of surfing.

I also enjoy photographing the less obvious moments — surfers waiting for their heats, paddling out, watching the waves and the atmosphere around the beach.

For me, these moments help tell the story of the event.

More Saltburn surfing photography

I’ve photographed surfing at Saltburn on a number of occasions, including competitions, organised events and general surf sessions.

You can explore more of my Saltburn surf photography and Yorkshire surfing content here:

These pages cover different parts of the surfing scene around Saltburn and the wider Yorkshire coast.

Follow my Saltburn surf photography

I’ve photographed surfing at a number of locations around Yorkshire and the North East, and I regularly share new photographs on Instagram.

You can see more of my Saltburn surf photography, Yorkshire surf photography, competitions and surf sessions here:

Follow Howardsenton Surf Photography on Instagram →

About the photographer

I’m Howard, a Yorkshire-based amateur surf photographer with a particular interest in photographing surfing around Yorkshire and the North East coast.

I started photographing surfing because I wanted to combine my interest in the sea with photography and capture the people, waves and atmosphere of the local surfing community.

I’m not a full-time professional photographer. Photography is something I do alongside regular work and family life, but I’m continuing to build my experience by photographing surf sessions, competitions, surf clubs and events around the region.

For me, surf photography isn’t only about getting the perfect action shot. It’s also about documenting the local surfing community and the places where people come together to enjoy the sea.

Want your surfing photographed?

I’m currently looking to build my surf photography portfolio and am interested in working with surf schools, surf clubs, surf events and surf competitions around Yorkshire and the North East.

If you’re organising a surf competition, club event or surf session and would like photography coverage, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Contact Howard about surf photography →

You can also contact me through Instagram.

Explore more Yorkshire surf photography

If you enjoy surfing and surf photography, take a look at some of my other Yorkshire surf guides, photography galleries and location pages.

You can also explore more of my surf photography galleries and free surf photography downloads throughout the website.

All photographs on this website are my own unless otherwise stated.