Off the shores of Alaska, waves of cold water break perfect for surfing. In Kodiak, the sport of surfing is found by an individual as they have a spiritual experience in this environment. Mikey Goodman,19, grabs his surfboard and belongings before leaving to work on a fishing boat, Wednesday, July 15, 2020 in, Kodiak, Alaska. Fishing provides for half the jobs on the island. As Mikey has grown into a young man on the island, he’s fished nearly every summer just like all his peers. Goodman brings his board as there will be places the boat stops along the way that he can surf at. When he returns home, he will surf with the other young surfers returning from fishing. Referring to themselves as “the Groms” all the young men are between the ages of 19 and 23.
Mikey Goodman wears a Mjölnir and a bear claw around his neck when surfing, Tuesday July 21, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. After finding a bear carcass with friends, Mikey pried the claw from the remains. When meeting new people, Mikey looks for others who exhibit strength. Both items dangling from his neck represent the strength Mikey has found through his own life experiences and from surfing.
Mikey Goodman and Brayden Stevens surf together at three mile beach, Tuesday, July 7, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. “The wave is pure energy in the ocean, when I catch that wave it feels like me and that energy are one in a dance” shares Goodman. “To be in the presence, let alone feel that energy, is a spiritual feeling that is so addicting.”
Signs that Mikey and the other Groms made sit outside the surf cabin where they sleep, store their boards, Saturday, July 31, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. When they are not out fishing, this is where they meet.
Poloroids and printed photos of the Groms and Mikey hang on a bulletin inside the surfer’s cabin, Tuesday, July 22, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska.
Caroline and Mikey Goodman hold each other while looking out at the waves, July 31, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. The mother and son represent two generations of surfers. Each of them have found what surfing means to them in their own time and in their own way.
Mikey Goodman and Brayden Stevens walk up the beach after surfing Tuesday, July 7, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska at three mile beach. The two have been friends since high school and found the other Groms afterwards.
Mikey Goodman and Brayden Stevens walk up the beach after surfing Tuesday, July 7, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska at three mile beach. The two have been friends since high school and found the other Groms afterwards.
The Groms, Mikey and their friends hang out around a fire at Three mile beach during Mikey’s going away party Friday, July 31, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. Mikey’s family will move to San Fransisco due to his father getting re-stationed there as a Coast Guard member. To Mikey, Kodiak will always be his home.
Mikey Goodman, 19, does a backflip off of his longboard at Three Mile Beach, Friday, July 31, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska. To forget the daily stresses of life, “this is where we go to heal” says Goodman.
Mikey Goodman sits in an old fishing net hung among the trees, Wednesday, July 15, 2020 in the flats of Kodiak, Alaska. While looking up at the trees, Goodman reflects on past relationships and his boyhood on the island.
The surf cabin in Kodiak, Alaska is now empty in late August. Fireweed plants bloom in the hills signifying the endless summer of surfing has come to a close. At the change of this season each Grom departs the island to return to school, fishing or a journey elsewhere, but they’ll be back, still stoked for the next big wave. Mikey promises to return back to Kodiak when he is older.