Love ‘em. Hate ‘em. Drones have changed the way we watch surfing. Especially in big waves, where the theater is often out to sea. And with this new technology, a new generation of cinematographers has emerged – complicating the airwaves with annoying buzzing and epic imagery.
Meet Tucker Wooding. He grew up in Lake Tapps, Washington, spending every summer from age 10 on his dad’s commercial fishing boat in Alaska, and he was running his own boat as soon as he turned 18. He started flying drones during that time to document unique nature encounters in Alaska.
His older brother was a surfer, and they’d watch John Florence’s View from a Blue Moon and Albee Layer’s Nervous Laughter together to study their cinematography. “Anyone can fly a drone these days,” says Tucker. “But I spend a lot of time visualizing how I’m going to film a certain wave. Also, having a lot of batteries helps.”
Tucker Wooding
SURFER: How did you transition to filming surfing?
TUCKER WOODING: I was surfing in Huntington Beach in November 2020 and Kai Lenny paddled past me in the lineup and I was tripping out because he was just in Nazare surfing that giant Epsilon swell. I thought, “WTF is he doing at 2-foot HB right now!?” And then I thought, “WTF am I doing out here? I should probably go film him surfing.” So, I caught a wave in, got my drone, and filmed a few waves of Kai. I made an edit and sent it to Kai, but didn’t think anything would come from it. A couple days later, I got a text from my brother saying Kai posted the edit. I was so pumped and that’s how my filming career started.
Do you have a home break you learned to film at?
Not really. I just learned on the fly, so I guess it would be Mavericks and Jaws. I got lucky on my first two times filming there and scored historically giant swells back to back. That got me hooked.
What led you to filming big waves?
I just gravitated towards chasing swells and filming big waves. It was like I found my calling in a sense. It just felt like something I was meant to do. It’s funny because I had a photography class in high school that I dropped because I didn’t think I’d be interested in it. Now that field has pretty much taken over my life.
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So what steps did you take?
I knew in order to be successful with filming surfing I had to just go for it 100%. So I spent money I earned from commercial fishing to fund that. I’d see a swell and I’d book a ticket and make it there. Initially, people were like, “Who the hell is this Tucker Wooding guy!? How is he everywhere filming these swells. He came out of nowhere.” I’d get a good laugh from that because I was just a random person showing up and filming a new perspective to what people are used to seeing. I don’t like to be considered a “drone” guy. I consider myself a surf filmer. But I wouldn’t be where I’m at now if it wasn’t for drones. So I guess I am a drone guy.
Tucker Wooding
How you get connected with so many top surfers?
Just from being at the same spots. It was easy to be around the scene and get to know people in the surf world. I just wanted to document surfing and chase swells. Getting crazy clips of them helped for sure. I remember meeting Chumbo in Nazare for the first time. I showed him some clips and he and the crew were tripping out. Became friends with the whole team over there and they have helped me out a ton.
Maui guys, too, yeah?
Getting connected with the crew of guys on Maui has been sick. I’ve filmed a lot with Albee Layer and Torrey Meister over the last year. Those guys were always some of my favorite surfers and now they are great friends.
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Tell us a weird drone story.
One time I was filming at Mavericks, with my drone hovering 50 feet in the air. It was a pretty average day, but in the corner of my screen, I saw a drone heading straight towards mine. I didn’t have time to react and just saw the drone suddenly crashing downward. Later, my friends at Powerlines Productions posted a clip of two drones crashing with the Star Wars theme song. I thought it was hilarious, but I saw the other guy at the bar later and he kept coming up saying I was flying in his air space and crashed into his drone. None of us own the airspace. Anyone who flies a drone should understand the risk and respect others doing the same.
The airspace over top waves and key swells can get a bit crowded these days, yeah?
Pipeline can get very chaotic in the air. I’ve had many close calls. Half of those people don’t even have a pilot’s license. I think that should be a requirement. Sometimes I won’t even bother flying because there are 15 others out and the risk isn’t worth it. I’ll just bring my tripod with my camera somewhere. But I strongly encourage anyone flying drones to get their Part 107 drone license before flying it around surfers – and have respect for others.
Tucker Wooding
How many drones have you sacrificed to the ocean?
I’m up to six, so far. Only two actually hit the waves because of malfunctions on the drones. It sucks, but it’s part of the game. That’s why ever time I bring a drone in I back up the footage. If I lose a drone, that’s fine. I’ll just get another one. But losing footage is painful. Every time I film, I have at least two drones on me, in case one goes down.
What’s the most legendary session you’ve filmed?
That’s a tough one. I’ve been super lucky to be part of some insane session in my three years of filming. I was out at Cortez Bank with the HBO 100-foot wave crew, led by Bill Sharp. January 11, 2023 at Jaws was the best paddle day in big wave surfing I’ve ever seen. And I was part of the broadcast filming the historic Eddie Aikau event last year. But, at the moment, I’d say it was the Cloudbreak Swell last month (March 2024). We had a great crew and it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had on a trip. Being on Tavarua was a dream, and those were the most perfect waves I’ve ever seen.
Related: Watch Kai Lenny Skip Like A Stone Across Maverick’s Turbulence
So, what’s the next big thing?
I have a list of spots I’m trying to check off. Further down the line, I want to make a full-on surf film. But for now, I’m still just making single swell edits for my Youtube channel and posting clips on Instagram
What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?
Put in the time and learn as much as you can. It’s important to understand filming before just grabbing a drone and flying it. Watch as much surf and action sports movies as you can. It makes it easier to visualize how you want to film. Don’t be discouraged by any of the lows and keep chasing what you’re passionate about and things will work out. When filming with a drone, be respectful of land and water guys. No one likes a drone buzzing around all crazy. Fly high waiting for sets and let the people in the water enjoy the peace of the ocean.
Check out Tucker’s work on Instagram at: @tuckerwooding
And on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@Tuckerwooding