25 Must-See Photos of Water Sports Athletes to Inspire Your Goals

In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we’re shining the spotlight on the Four Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire! This month on ISO, you’ll find stories about the best 500px photographs that capture these four elements in a groundbreaking way—and the crop of talented photographers behind the shot. You can follow all our Four Elements posts on social media with the hashtag #PlanetPX. Let’s move on with our next Element—WATER!

Red Bull Photography recently joined our community with a verified brand profile of their own. This partnership isn’t just about amazing photography—it’s also about amazing stories. Behind every shot on Red Bull Photography is a talented photographer, a wild story, and a few lessons learned. We’ll be telling those stories every week here on 500px ISO and the Red Bull Photography website.

Not many photographers have the moxie to hit the ocean and ride waves the size of the Grand Canyon or plunge hundreds of feet deep underwater. But to get the perfect shot, you have to be just as daring as these world-class athletes who are owning the perilous waters around the world. In honor of these thrill-seeking professionals and the talented photographers who are capturing them in action, we gathered 25 exciting photos from Red Bull Photography on 500px. Scroll down—waves of inspiration are coming right up!

Kelly Slater surfing at Peniche, Portugal.

Kolohe Andino surfing in Tavarua, Fiji.

Brian Grubb at Red Bull Wakeskate in Pamukkale, Turkey.

Marie France Roy diving at Vancouver Island.

Orlando Duque Dives From Submarine Garage on the Island of Vis in Croatia.

Mario Mola swimming in Mallorca, Spain.

Evan Thompson at Red Bull Night Riders in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, USA.

Jana Dukatova training in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jordy Smith Surfing in Hale’iwa, Hawaii, USA.

Massimiliano Piffaretti perfoming on lake in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Brian Grubb at Red Bull Wakeskate in Pamukkale, Turkey.

Peter Kauzer Practicing in Tacen, Slovenia.

Kolohe Andino surfing in Oahu, Hawaii, USA.

Kostas Trigonis and Sofia Bekatorou performing in Athens, Greece.

Maya Gabeira surfing at Praia do Norte in Nazare, Portugal.

Red Bull Path to the Sich competitors in Zaporizhia, Ukraine.

Luca Guichard surfing in Unstad, Nordland, Norway.

The Red Bull Sailing Team of Austria competing in the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, Turkey.

Kieren Perrow surfing at Prevelly, Australia.

Kolohe Andino surfing in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia.

Nick Jacobsen Performs During Red Bull King of the Air at Big Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

Julian Wilson Surfing in Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Red Bull Defiance participants at Wanaka, New Zealand.

Jamie O’Brien at Red Bull Decades in Moorea, French Polynesia.

Vavrinec Hradilek at Red Bull Wakeboarding meets Kayak in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Stay tuned for another story from that will blow your mind next week!