Nearly three-and-a-half years after he first surfed The Right, former West Coast Eagle Phil Read admits he still has sleepless nights ahead of trips to the treacherously heavy wave off WA's South West.
"I won't sleep and I get really nervous," Read said.
"To be honest, I dread getting the call from [big-wave specialist] Mark Matthews to say we're going down there."
But, as Read goes on to explain, it's a good kind of dread. One that carries with it the opportunity to take on - and hopefully survive in good health - a world-renowned big wave.
Read was pleasantly surprised late last week to learn his ride at The Right in April (captured in the video below by Tim Bonython) had earned him an entry in the prestigious Billabong Ride of the Year category at the annual XXL Big Wave Awards.
"When I first got the text from Tim [about the entry], I thought Mark had got hold of his phone and was sending me a joke message," Read said.
"I look at the other waves that are entered and I probably talk mine down a bit. I don't think I'm any chance of winning or anything like that. I'm my harshest critic and the video probably shows me outrunning it [the wave] a bit.
"But it's a nice thing to have an entry. I've been down to The Right a few times now and I considered that to be the first proper wave I've caught there."
 
The Right poses plenty of dangers to those who dare to tackle it.
The unusually deep water immediately after the break and the threat of hold-downs has led to many a burst eardrum (Matthews suffered one in his epic tandem-wave attempt with Taj Burrow in August).
A proliferation of sharks, including one big regular visitor, means surfers are either on a wave or astride a jet ski; there is no sitting on your board as is the case with most other breaks.
But for Read, The Right poses another issue. As a goofy-footer - ie, he plants his right foot towards the front of his board - the wave is at his back, meaning he never quite knows the volume of water that builds behind him or how it is behaving.
"It's a really hard wave to get deep inside. Especially when you are going backside, like I have to," he said.
"It all happens so quick. You've probably got 150 metres of run-up with the two and then the ride probably only lasts 10 or 15 seconds. And during that time, you're just hoping you make it.
"But that wave [the one from his entry], I remember a couple of little troughs on my way down the face and looking at them, I figured it was pretty powerful."
Read doesn't consider himself to be a genuine big-wave surfer of any note - "there are a million guys out there, much better than me" - but says he will always entertain invites from Matthews to work on his tow-in skills.
"I've had calls from him [Matthews] to go to Cloudbreak [Fiji] and Jaws [Hawaii]," Read said.
"I probably wouldn't even go down to The Right without him, to be truthful. He's just a guy who really knows what he's doing and makes you feel a whole lot safer out there."
The Ride of the Year category carries a $50,000 first prize, with $5000 for second place and $1500 for third through to fifth. Rides must occur between March 20, 2014, and March 20, 2015, to be eligible and Read's effort is among 115 entries, including waves caught at northern hemisphere big-wave hotspots Nazare (Portugal) and Jaws.
The entries will be shortlisted to nominations at the end of March, with winners to be announced in May.
Read played 108 AFL games between 1998 and 2006, including 74 games for West Coast. He played a leading role in the "Demolition Derby" of 2001, after getting involved in the fisticuffs that saw ex-Docker Dale Kickett suspended for nine games.
Somewhat ironically, Read has become a docker post-football, working as a crane operator on Fremantle's wharves.
