SEA, SPRAY AND SHUTTER : CATCHING A WAVE ON FILM IS NO SNAP FOR SURFING PHOTOGRAPHERS.

Byline: Richard Couch Daily News Staff Writer

Things were looking grim for surfing action photographer Glenn Dubock of Carpinteria. He had been in the water for about 30 minutes at Jalama, a beach north of Point Conception, when the shoot in big surf suddenly became a struggle for survival.

``There was some interesting sea life, and a strong current and riptide,'' Dubock said. When cramps set in, he knew he was in trouble. ``I was just holding onto the (camera) housing. I had swung in close to shore then out again. After 20 years, I thought I'd known the break well. I took what I thought would be the last picture of myself.

``Then I got a wave.''

Dubock bodysurfed to shore.

Roiling seas, sharks and jagged coral reef are just some of the hazards awaiting water photographers and cinematographers who film surfers in their unpredictable element.

``Other sports photographers are in awe of what we do,'' said Larry Moore, photo editor of Surfing magazine, a monthly publication that chronicles wave riding around the world.

Although there are surfing movies and television programming, photo-friendly magazines like Surfing and Surfer give the sport the most exposure. And with thousands of amateur and professional surf photographers, the competition among cameramen is almost as intense as the competition among surfers.

Photographers can receive from $75 for a quarter-page picture to $250 and more for a double-page spread, cover shot or pull-out poster. The big money comes from advertisers. Some photographers have earned $4,000 for action shots of surfers in ads for surf-related equipment, clothing, eye wear and other products.

Surf photographs taken from land, piers and aircraft can be spectacular, but shots from the water tend to be more dramatic - and magazines pay more for them.

``Anybody can stand on the beach and pull the trigger,'' said Bill Parr of Malibu, a contributing photographer for Surfing. In the water ``you get that angle, right in the wave, close-up action. The hollowness of the wave coming over, it's a view you just don't see from the beach.

``I enjoy being out in the water. I'm a surfer myself and shooting out there is almost like going surfing.''

Moore has seen an in-water shot that was taken in 1938, but otherwise he isn't sure who snapped the first photographs of surfing from a surfer's perspective. Widely recognized as the pioneer of in-water surf photography, however, is Dr. Don James of Santa Barbara, who continues his ocean practice.

The camera casings that James developed have evolved into custom-made, lightweight, plexiglass housings.

Surf photographer William Sharp of Oxnard is still excited about a housing that Laguna's Dale Kobiticha recently crafted for him.

To make a housing, Sharp said a camera, with its lens and flash attached, is completely wrapped with tape. The equipment then is covered with a soft, claylike substance that hardens to create a mold.

The mold is used to form plexiglass into a watertight, two-piece exoskeleton for the camera. A rubber plug in the handgrip of the frontal part of the housing allows the photographer to depress the shutter.

The flat back of the housing and the contoured front portion are held together, with a gasket in between, by more than 10 little nuts and bolts. The housings can cost $2,000 and must protect camera equipment worth up to $10,000.

On a shoot in the water, photographers wear swim fins, and if necessary, wet suits in cold temperatures; helmets if there are rocks or coral reef. At surfing locations where there is a distinctive channel, some photographers use inflatable mats or shoot from support boats.

But when they're on their own, it takes a special skill to bob through the waves with a 3-pound device that Dubock said is ``like shoving a basketball underwater.''

``It's dangerous. With a wide-angle lens, you have to get close to the subject,'' said Dubock, who is a senior staff photographer for Wind Tracks, a windsurfing magazine.

With 36 exposures to a roll, photographers not only must be selective, they also must be strong swimmers with great endurance. To change film, they have to swim to shore, thoroughly dry the equipment and undo each screw of the housing. But on days when the tubes are endless and motor drives are used to shoot sequences, some photographers have additional rigs waiting for them on the beach.

Even with the best equipment, not all shots are guaranteed to be selected for publication. Most magazines have a team of staff photographers, and with so many additional slides from contributors to choose from, the standards are high.

``Technically, they have to be sharp and in focus,'' Moore said. ``It has to have decent composure and a straight horizon. You are a moving entity. You don't want to be too far inside or outside. When you're getting pulled up the face, you have to compensate to keep the shot straight.

``I'm looking for action. No faces or obscene gestures. A big wave. A shot that says `great day.' ''

According to Moore, there are plenty of great days ahead.

``There's always new places to be photographed,'' he said. ``In the realm of surf photographers, guys are trying new things. . . . `How can I document it better and differently?' It's more and more difficult to do something new.''

Sharp has been shifting his focus lately. Several months ago he was sidelined by another threat to in-water photographers - pollution. A bacteria in the ocean after heavy rains complicated a painful case of surfer's ear, which required surgery. In the meantime, Sharp has been experimenting with a remote-controlled camera that is mounted on the front of a surfer's board and operated from shore.

He's gotten some intriguing shots, but he can't wait to get back in the water.

``Every time you go out the waves are different,'' Sharp said. ``That's what adds excitement to shooting. Beach shots are meat and potatoes. Water shots are dessert.''

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos

Photo: (1--color) A water photographer gets a close-up of Malibu's Vince Kline surfing in the tube at Backdoor Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

Bill Parr / Special to the Daily News

(2--color) Bill Parr of Malibu has been photographing surfers for more than 15 years.

Tina Gerson / Daily News

(3,4,5) Ocean views

Since the beginning of modern surfing, photographers emerged to provide images of the ocean sport. Surfers seek perfect waves and photographers are determined to take perfect pictures of them. Not satisfied with filming from the shore, experienced surfing photographers don wet suits and fins and swim into the biggest waves in the world with specialized cameras encased in customized, water-tight housings. It's strenuous and physically demanding, and the waves and sea predators can be life-threatening, but the shots are amazing. Here are a few pictures from Oxnard surf photographer William Sharp's slide portfolio. Below: When Sharp needed a volunteer to surf with a remote-controlled water-camera unit mounted on the nose of their board, Josh Bradbury stepped forward. Right: Ross McBride of Camarillo shows that riding a wave on a bodyboard can be just as fun as on a surfboard, especially in a tube at a local break. Bottom right: One of the hottest surfers to come out of Ventura County is Ventura's Evan Slater, getting some cover on a head-high set.

William Sharp