Stockland Martel

The annual SEA Paddle NYC is a grueling event in which participants travel just over 26 miles around the island of Manhattan using nothing more than muscle, a paddle, and a board to stand on. Tough as it is to complete, people eagerly take it on because SEA Paddle NYC raises money for two good causes: autism awareness and for the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance.

For the past five years, Jorg Badura has photographed the SEA Paddle, sometimes in the water and sometimes shooting classic portraits. But having closely observed the event multiple times now, he wanted to do something different at last year’s event (the next SEA Paddle NYC will be in August).

“This year, I pushed to be at the finish line when these guys are coming out of the water,” Jorg explains. “I wanted to show who these people are who deplete their bodies and push themselves to such an intense level.

“There are some serious paddlers in this event, and there are some part-time, recreational paddlers who are just overwhelmed by the reality of the task,” he continues. “One of these guys was in such pain and exhilaration that he was literally screaming when he came out of the water. Everybody had different emotions.”

Here’s a look at 12 of Jorg’s portraits. He’s also working with Industrial Color on a portrait-based video in which each of the paddlers’ faces morphs into the next, with audio of them talking about their SEA Paddle NYC experience. More on that soon…

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Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

Photo by Jorg Badura.

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