"Peter Crawford's induction into the Surfing Hall of Fame is well earned," Sydney photographer Greg Button recently told Swellnet.

"I was inspired to buy a second hand Nikonos to shoot from the water by one of Peter's photos. It was a black and white shot of Michael Peterson cutting back at Dee Why point."

"I only met Peter a few times, mostly in the water and once at the Duranbah kneeboard contest in 1976 - Peter won it comprehensively," said Greg. 

"We surfed Kirra at three-to-four feet because they locked it off for the contest, but that's another story."

One of the instances that Greg met Peter was 33 years ago down at Aussie Pipe on the NSW South Coast. It resulted in the fantastic bit of triangulation that you see below - and also on today's Wave Of The Day. Greg is shooting PC, who's shooting surfer Steve Macartney, who's heading toward Greg.

(Photo Greg Button)

Fortunately Greg kept PC in frame because it allows the backstory to unfold. The image that PC took of Steve was used as a cover of US Surfer magazine in its August 1984 edition. "When that issue of Surfer mag came out I was a bit stunned that his photo was on the cover," said Greg. "So close!"

Then three years later, when surfing was enjoying some mainstream affection, Coca-Cola ran the same photo - save for a few colour touch ups - as a full page ad.

"At the time there would have been a dollar or two in that ad," muses Greg on PC's shot.

Considering that Coke was trading on surfing's cool, and doing quite well out of it too, it's pleasing to realise PC got his pound of flesh from Big Syrup.

Steve Macartney as shot by Peter Crawford at Aussie Pipe in 1984, Surfer cover at left and Coke ad at right

Greg went onto have photos published in Tracks, Waves , Surfer, Surfing, Surfing World, Surfing Life and Bodyboarder magazines.