Somewhere in the middle of last week’s Photo Plus Expo hustle and satellite events, parties, and a birthday for yours truly (the big 3-0), I spied the November issue of Men’s Journal on the newsstand which contains a harrowing tale of a father and son lost at sea written by Justin Heckert.
Justin and I spent some time with Walt Marino whose autistic son Chris was pulled out into the ocean at the Ponce Inlet just south of Daytona Beach, FL, as night fell, leading father and son on a terrible overnight water treading marathon. At some point Walt had to let go of Chris or risk being drowned himself, and in the blackness they became two voices calling back and forth to each other Disney movie quotes (one of the few things that really connects with Chris as an autistic child), until Walt could no longer hear Chris. The only thing present the entire night was the sweep of the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse, the tallest in Florida.
The next morning a Coast Guard crew found Walt and rescued him beyond exhausted and assuming that his son was dead. Instead of going to the hospital Walt demanded to stay with them as they continued their search for his son. A short time later Chris was found, saved by the Y.M.C.A. swimming lessons that had sunk in.
Unfortunately very little of the work we shot of Walt and Chris found a home in the magazine, which is disappointing but understandable after a challenging shoot (many thanks to friend Matthew Ratajczak for lending a hand). It was certainly a distinct pleasure though to meet father and son and yet again affirm the lengths that people go for love and life, and work with Justin whose story is a really powerful read (find it online here). Here’s one last portrait of Walt back at the beach where they survived.
That was a long day and that 10-mile boardwalk sucked! Good pics however. it’s just too bad the mag didn’t use much. Walt, Chris and Justin were all great to work with though. And you of course. Cheers.
Thanks Matt – you earned your keep and then some that day. Shooting on the beach is always a challenge, and when you add multiple lights and a 20-minute walk between the car and location over boardwalk and beach, it’s nothing short of brutal.
Hey guys,
I’d forgotten how long of a walk that was, on the boardwalk. It was daylight when we began back at the beach, and it was night when we got back to the car. Thanks so much for your hard work, the pictures are beautiful. Great working with both of you.
[...] during the course of reporting for it. And see other photos from "Lost in the Waves" at John Loomis Photography.] Read this narrative [...]