Big Wave Surfing: When The Right Turns On, Things Can Go Very Wrong
big wave surfing turned savage off Western Australia when a storm pushed 25-footers onto The Right, a remote reef slab captured by Tim Bonython. Lucas Fink, 27, has announced he will take a year off from the United Skim Tour in 2026 to chase swells and focus on slabs like Teahupo’o and Brazilian wedges. The events underline why some riders leave competition to pursue waves that test limits and sometimes exact a heavy price.
Big Wave Surfing: The Right Wakes Up
The Right is a slab that rarely breaks, but when it does the consequences are immediate and brutal: a storm sat close off the Western Australian coast and whipped up a swell that delivered 25-footers onto a reef that sits far out to sea. Tim Bonython wrote, “When The Right wakes up, it’s pure chaos, ” and described the slab as producing “some of the biggest, thickest barrels on the planet. ” He added that “when that much ocean hits The Right, the wave turns dark, raw… almost evil, ” capturing why only a handful of surfers attempt it when conditions align.
Lucas Fink’s Sabbatical: Chasing Teahupo’o and Slabs
Lucas Fink has built a reign in skimboarding — the context describes him as having racked up multiple world titles in succession and as a five-time skim world champion who has already ridden Jaws, Maverick’s, and Nazaré on his small, finless boards. Fink told readers he is stepping away from contest travel in 2026 to focus on chasing swells in the Southern Hemisphere, experimenting with lefts on Brazilian slabs, and attempting new frontiers like Teahupo’o. “I had this feeling going on for a while already, and just want to try new things, ” Fink said, and he added, “I’m pretty confident about being able to get one (at Teahupo’o). “
Immediate Reactions and Voices on the Water
Tim Bonython’s on-the-spot writing captures the thin line between triumph and danger at The Right: “This slab in Western Australia only breaks a handful of times each year, but when the conditions line up, it produces some of the biggest, thickest barrels on the planet. ” On the competitive and personal side, Lucas Fink framed his move away from the tour as deliberate rather than exhausted, noting pride in maintaining top performance and a desire to grow the sport and experiment with new waves at home and abroad.
Quick Context
The Right is a Western Australian slab that breaks only rarely and becomes a hazardous test when it does. Fink follows a pathway used by other champions who pause competition to chase the world’s most challenging waves and to expand their craft outside the contest calendar.
What’s Next
Expect more raw imagery and firsthand accounts from The Right when the slab reactivates, and watch Lucas Fink’s movements through 2026 as he pursues slabs in Brazil, Teahupo’o and other heavy venues; both threads will shape discussions about risk, innovation, and the evolving culture of big wave surfing. Observers will be watching whether these pursuits yield new breakthroughs or reinforce the peril that comes with chasing the biggest, meanest walls of water.
