Summer 2025 we created this portfolio of watermen and waterwomen called Água Viva for Costa Brazil, a sustainable beauty line created by Francisco Costa, and built on the simple belief that the spirit of beauty is found in harmony with nature.
The editorial series celebrated those who live in rhythm with the ocean – surfers, voyagers, paddlers, and sailors — exploring their deep connection to the ocean, and the rituals that keep them grounded, both in and out of the water.
AUSTIN KINO & TAMIKO CLAIRE
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Surfers, Paddlers, Vogagers
We begin with Austin Kino, 37, and Tamiko Claire, 36, from Oahu, Hawaii. Though they only truly connected later in life, they’ve long shared a bond through their relationship with the ocean. Austin and Tamiko met through modeling, but through their shared passion for the ocean pursuits of surfing and paddling, knew of each other from afar. This is what it means to be a waterman or waterwoman. It is what ties them together: salt, sea, and shared reverence for the waves.
Photographs by Anne Menke
Austin Kino is a surfer, paddler, navigator, educator, and founder of Holokino Hawai‘i, where guests sail aboard traditional canoes and learn ancestral wayfinding. A lifelong waterman, Austin draws on generations of ocean knowledge to inspire cultural connection and environmental stewardship. His voyages honor heritage, build community, and deepen our shared reverence for the sea.
“In wayfinding you use everything from the sun, the waves, but at night we use the stars. Ancient Polynesians understood these cycles and were able to use their patterns to find a system of navigation that the Hokule’a is perpetuating. It reminds Hawaiians of their heritage. Voyaging was introduced to me by being in the canoe paddling community.” Read more about Austin.
Tamiko Claire is a ceramicist, surfer, and founder of Tamiko Claire Stoneware, a collection of handmade pieces rooted in nature. After years spent modeling in Tokyo and New York, Tamiko returned home to O‘ahu to reconnect with the ocean and her creative practice. Through surfing, ceramics, and the rituals in between, she’s found a calm and grounded rhythm inspired by the land and sea.
“I got scouted and moved to Tokyo for modeling when I was 18. ‘You’re a bit too tan, too muscular, too sporty of a body’, I was told. But I committed. My 6 years in Japan were very different from Hawaii. I didn’t go to the beach and I had to stay out of the sun when I came home. I didn’t feel like I was living genuinely. I moved back home right before the pandemic. I just wanted to surf and be in the ocean. Just live. I really started getting into surfing as lifestyle at age 28. Thats when I really fell in love with it. It was very freeing. My connection has been spiritual.” Read more about Tamiko.
ANNE MENKE AND SONS LUKE, ENZO, AND JACQUES
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Photographer, surfer, and mother of three watermen
20 years ago German fashion photographer Anne Menke, 58, traded New York, Miami, and Paris for the beaches of Sayulita, Mexico. As a passionate surfer who only started when she was 27, she knew she wanted to raise her kids in a beach town so they could grow up surfing. From global shoots to local surf breaks, Anne lives between worlds: behind the lens, on a board, and in the heart of her community. Anne is the mother of 3 boys, all surfers: Luke is 21, Enzo is 18, and Jacques is 17. All three are the definition of watermen.
“Enzo is a pro surfer. Luke is a filmmaker. And Jacques is still in high school but wants to be an entrepreneur. He’s a chef and baker and already has a business called Surf Baker. They still surf all the time. Luke is kitesurfer now. They all do freediving and spearfishing. They are all watermen. All doing everything.” Read more about Anne.
Photographs by Laura Bermudez Menendez
CARINA AND KEY BECKER
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Sailors
Brother and sister, and professional sailors, Key, 28, and Carina Becker, 26, race TP52s in the most preeminent race series around the world. These boats have large crews, and each sailor’s job is very specific. It’s very technical and high pressure racing. In their downtime, Key and Carina enjoy other solo sailing pursuits. For Key, it’s Wing foiling and Carina, it’s Moth foiling. Wing foiling is like windsurfing, except the sail is not attached to the board. Moth foils are small and sleek solo hydrofoil sailboats.
For both, these solo sailing sports are a way to reconnect with their passion for sailing and love of the ocean without the high intensity of their professional sailing jobs. It returns them to the purity of the sport… as does a brother and sister outing on a rare day they find themselves together in the same place in Newport, RI.
“Carina and I were both lucky enough to benefit from the help of other’s generosity. The sport is very challenging for young people, and I try to do the most I can to get others those same opportunities. I think the biggest thing I try to do to make an impact is using my position and connections, as someone who does get to sail on these big boats, to help other young sailors.” Read more about Key and Carina.
Photographs by Maaike Bernstrom
