photographing surfers, sharks and beach life

Introduction

beach life is a key part of many Australians growing up through their youthful years and into adulthood
as such, beach imagery brings back fond memories for most of us who had fun in the sun in those summer months and thus can be a rewarding endeavour for the photographer with so many aspects which could be captured, although some require special equipment such as underwater kits
beach photography is HARSH on your equipment - sand and salt are two big killers for any camera or lens!

DO NOT be that creepy guy with a camera or drone on the beach!
not only is this poor form which places you at risk of potentially violent repercussions from those you may offend, but Australia now has a law which allows anyone to make criminal charges against a photographer who publishes any “intimate” photos of them in public without their consent - and in the broad meaning of “intimate” in this context, it does NOT require them to be topless or nude, and it could be with them wearing swimwear as long as they are upset a photo of them was published (remember their may be cultural ramifications for some subjects found to be showing any skin!)
when it comes to children, this becomes a very difficult area - in general, you probably should not take photos of other kids unless you have their parent's consent.

use a weathersealed camera and lens, and even then wash it down with clean water after use to remove the salt
better still, use an underwater kit
when taking photos of people standing or sitting on a sunny day:
- the best photos tend to be when the sun is lower in the sky, such as around the Golden Hour which then gives many options from silhouettes to side-lit sunset images
- if you must take photos with the sun high in the sky, consider having your subjects lying on the sand, or consider shooting with the sun behind the subject and using a reflector to fill their face
- if your subject is to be facing the sun, then some aesthetic, clean sunglasses will avoid the squinting eye issue and add reality
the best surfing images tend to be taken with underwater kits with the photographer CLOSE to the action and in the water, and even better if this has some magical golden hour light