It’s swell for Slatter to be in The Right

It is one of the surfing world’s heaviest waves — and photographer Trent Slatter says documenting The Right is both exhilarating and daunting.

The Right, off the south coast near Walpole, is a notorious reef break which produces barrels rarely seen elsewhere.

This week, Slatter captured these incredible photos.

“On Tuesday morning we decided to head out there. Normally we start to head out there in April/May when the waves are really breaking, so this is usually a bit earlier for us,” he said.

“It was a beautiful sunrise, we slept in our swags and got up at 5.30am, drove out the Walpole boat ramp, got our wetsuits on and headed out.”

He said despite it being earlier in the year, quite a few surfers were testing themselves in the swell.

“About 20 jetskis were out there in the ocean. It’s a pretty incredible sight to see,” he said.

Among the surfers and towering barrels, Slatter holds onto a jetski, camera in hand to capture the action.

“Photographing the waves is an incredible feeling. It’s daunting but I have a really good jet ski driver and we’ve been doing it together now for about 12 years so we have a lot of a lot of trust,” he said.

“It’s a love-hate job. It can be quite scary, and nerve-racking but it’s one of the best waves in Australia; it’s exhilarating and definitely worth it, it’s always worth it. I love it.”

One of the surfers, 18-year-old Ollie Henry, surfed the break for the first time on Tuesday.

The teenager stole the show with the wave of the day.

“It’s great to see the younger generation get out there and see a new generation come through,” Slatter said. “People put a lot of time and effort into surfing The Right. The commitment and dedication has to be paramount.”