I believe it's a real pic...but not based on anything I've ever done....
I used to work for this outfit called Lake Mead Air out of Boulder City, NV. It was a great first job, however, the experience of working there was the low point in my professional career. There was a pic in the main office, just like this, of a Super Cub doing the same thing flown by the owner...Earl L. Earl L was quite a character, having flown Corsairs during WWII. I guess you can run the mains down in the water and skim along. Anyone who has taken the Commercial written care to define which type of hydroplanning this would be? (Yes, there are different types of hydroplanning and every commercial pilot should know them)
I would call it StupidusRus hydroplanning.....