INITIAL IMPRESSION: The water in this shot is quite impressive - the scattered light in wave, the orange light of the sun on the mist, and the reflection of the blue sky in the foam. One is not used to seeing surfers in silhouette, and this adds novelty to the photo.
COMPOSITION and LIGHTING: The real strength of the photo, IMO, is the strong lighting. One has the sense that the saturation has been artificially boosted a little, but this does increase the dramatic effect of the lighting. There is something about the surfer's stance that suggests unsteadyness and this produces a mildly negative visceral reaction in me, but it may actually strenghthen the appeal of the photo to some other observers. It's a quibble, but I wish the line of the wave did not slice through the surfer's head. I know these are not all things under a photographer's control.
PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE: The short DOF works well and helps us understand the shot. The subject is in focus and stop-action is good. One is tempted to wish for better highlights in the foam around the surfboard, and perhaps some dodging might have helped here. Similarly, I have the sense that dodging or burning other parts of the photo might help us scan it better and improve its effect. Given that the orange mist was essential in communicating the morning theme, this treatment is a good choice.
OVERALL: It is a solid photo with much to commend it.
These comments are just my opinion, I hope you find it of some value.
Best of luck,
Lovely catch - really love that subsurface scattering in the water (sorry, I'm a 3D artist!). You've done well to catch the sense of morning too without being really blatant with it. Good luck, but you don't need it anyway - your pic's fantastic, scoring well or not.
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