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“Whenever I pull up to a spot, I always shoot a few snapshots from shore. I had no idea how big this Eastside Reef was until Koby Abberton just gave scale to the whole thing. This reef is sharp, about three feet deep, and it breaks bones. Sometimes the parking area looks like a trauma ward. I had to take a few deep breaths before swimming out.”
Italian by birth, Balinese in spirit, water photography specialist Federico Vanno is never in the wrong place in Indonesia. And he’s having a hell of a year. Thanks to the non-stop swells that have been hammering Bali and the Mentawai during the pandemic. With pinpoint local knowledge, technical mastery and an artist’s eye, Federico is the go-to photographer for locals and visiting surf stars alike. The following is a collection of his favorite moments of this season and his insights about them.
Editor’s Note: Photo captions as told to Matt George.