“We are in the middle of the Pacific, on a volcanic rock, getting bludgeoned by massive swells. We are, as remote, as you can get.”

That’s Australian photographer Ted Grambeau talking. If you know Ted Grambeau, then you’ll be able to hear the sound of his deep, rough, vaguely erratic voice; the volume rising with each syllable, the delivery slowing with each word, dragging out each sentence until you can almost feel their isolation.

“This place… the surf… it’s not for the faint-hearted. If we are going, we are going in search of some of the most hard-core waves you’ll find. It’s remote, it’s dangerous, and we will be on the edge. – Ted Grambeau

Two days before this vocal eruption, Ted called the Rip Curl head office. He said he knew of a place, and that place was about to get absolutely smacked with swell. The winds were right. The direction didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that it would be two days of travel, and the clock was ticking.

If the call had come from anybody else, another enthusiastic photographer looking to jump on a trip, the answer would have been no. But it came from Ted, and of all the world’s photographers, Ted is up there when it comes to knowing what the hell he’s talking about. He has spent the better part of the last three decades charting swells, staring at maps, and learning the ocean.