In Every Issue · Photo Essays

The Inside Section

in·side sec·tion noun
1.The waves nearest the sand — where families wade, where volunteers stand, where every first ride happens.
2.Where this magazine keeps its photo essays.

Most of what matters on a beach day happens close to shore, between sets, off to the side of the action. These essays stay on it — frame by frame, in the order the day ran.

The Essays Three essays & counting
Junior competitors line up with their surfboards in front of the Thompson Brothers Classic banner as results are announced
Thompson Brothers Classic · Jacksonville Beach Pier

Nobody Gets Knocked Out

A morning under the pier — the scaffold and the tents, two heats for every surfer, and the plaques handed out in front of the banner.

Sixteen frames · August 29, 2026 See the Photo Essay →
A young athlete in noise-canceling headphones rides the whitewater at a Surfers for Autism event, a volunteer close behind
Surfers for Autism · Jacksonville Beach

The Whole Beach Shows Up

From the dunes to the water — preparation, first contact, whitewater, standing, and the people still close when the ride is over.

Ten frames · August 8, 2026 See the Photo Essay →
A young participant stands on a wave, arms out, at a Mauli Ola Surf Experience Day
Mauli Ola Foundation · Surf Experience Day

May the Wave Heal Us All

One morning at the pier — volunteers in the water for three hours, and rides that went the whole way to the sand.

Twenty frames · July 22, 2026 See the Photo Essay →

Next in the section — Issue 02 · Super Girl Surf Pro, Jacksonville Beach, November 7–8

How these run

In order. The frames run in the order the story did — no rearranging the day to make a better arc.

As witnessed. Captions describe what the photographer saw. Nothing is quoted that wasn't recorded.

With permission. At community events, participants are photographed with releases and identified by name only with consent — usually not at all.

Photographs by Michael Smith / MSphotography904 for First Coast Lineup