Turtle Beach, Hawaii, is the jewel in the crown of worldwide competitive surfing, where its infamously low and powerful waves have become the sport's benchmark since the island hosted its first competition in 1954. Fresh from shooting the Juggalos in Ohio, NOWNESS contributor Joshua Gordon took to the Pacific island to capture the people and places that, each year, play host to the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing—an event where, for the tournament's duration, the board is king.

Rather than training his lens on the beach's iconic tubular waves alone, Gordon set out to capture the unparalleled beauty of Hawaii's surrounding landscape and of surfers while they were off their boards, soaking up the island's sun and scenes in a part of the world that, once the competition has decamped, becomes again a tranquil oasis.

What emerges is an abstract and immersive take on the Triple Crown (an event that is most often seen through HD screens and posts on social media)—a reminder that, before anything else, surfing is a contest of the human body against ancient and powerful nature.