Dave Collyer is a surfer, photographer, traveler, and creator of SickShots.com. He first learned to surf on an old single fin known as "the ding" which he paid for by mowing lawns in the Florida heat. His second board was a twin fin because that was what Mark Richards was riding and at the time he owned the world tour. Simon Anderson would not invent the thruster until years later. Dave blames flat summer waves in Cocoa Beach for stunting his early surfing development although it didn't seem to hurt Kelly Slater. His first surf trip was to the outer banks of North Carolina.
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While there was a riot in Huntington Beach at the OP Pro, Dave was in Costa Rica on his first trip abroad. Here he received a strong dose of good waves and culture shock. It is also where his photo career began with a Nikon 6006 and a cheap telephoto lens. He took some awful photos, but the experience ignited his passion for the surfing lifestyle.
He moved to California the year Tom Curren won his second world title and spent six years getting a four-year degree at San Diego State University. Eventually he got a real job where a suit and tie was required. During his annual two-week vacation allowances he explored Central America, the South Pacific, and Indonesia. These short stays fueled the fire for long-term travel.
In 1998 he quit his job, packed his camera and surfboard and traveled around the planet surfing the waves he had always dreamed of. The year on the road changed his life and brought a greater understanding of the world. It also improved his photography, although his surfing remained as lame as ever. Dave returned to the real world and worked for a few years but always with itchy feet.
By the time Andy Irons was securing his first world title, Dave had quit another promising career opportunity for life on the road. He sold his possessions, moved from his small Pacific Beach apartment and made the transition from film to digital. He has been traveling, surfing and shooting ever since.
SickShots.com was started on the beach at Padang Padang
in Bali, Indonesia after a surf photo session during a huge
swell. Dave's images have appeared in Surf, Travel and Fashion
publications and websites worldwide. SickShots is represented
by Blue photo group.
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