When you open the figurative doors to Zak Noyle’s photo library, it’s hard to not be utterly amazed at what he’s accomplished. By the time he was a freshman at Punahou, his work had been published in EPSN, Sports Illustrated, Transworld Surf & more. However, one of his biggest accomplishments that stands out to him was being asked to be the official lead photographer of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

Zak waited seven years for his second chance to shoot the notorious surf competition on the North Shore. Waves were topping over 30 feet. The ground was shaking. People murmured along the shoreline—”Was this too big?”

Zak would go on to shoot the competition, staying in the water for eight full hours. It was during this moment that he pushed through two key barriers: abandoning his comfort zone and the fear of failure.

Q + A with Zak Noyle

+ Did you want to be a photographer as a teenager?

I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was a teenager, that was the thing, I applied for colleges like every normal kid. My dad was a commercial photographer and I was around photography, but he never pushed me into it. I found it on my own which was a great thing. I liked doing art and other things, but didn’t have a passion for photography at all back then.

+ What advice do you have for a teenager looking to find what he or she is meant to do?

Do what you love and follow what you love, because it will show through in what you do. I’m doing this for more of a love than anything. I love being in the water, it makes me happy. If you can find that, it’s going to show through in your life and in your work.

You also want to be patient as well and not rush or force anything. I understand that not everyone has the luxury of that and they have to start working. I did start working at an early age. At fourteen or fifteen, I was working in a surf shop and at seventeen, I was working at a car place. I had these other jobs and other things I had to do, but with all that, I found what I love.

+ Have you ever had a close call in the water where you felt challenged to get back in?

Every time you jump in the water, it’s a challenge because the current changes every day, the swell is different, the waves that come in could be bigger or more breaks are right in front of you. It’s about pushing through, reading the ocean, and being aware of your surroundings.

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