Last December, I packed up and hit the road for what turned out to be one of the most unforgettable adventures of my life, four weeks and more than 7,000 kilometers across three states. When I returned to Victoria, my partner and I made the decision to move to Queensland’s East Coast. By December 2024, we had landed in Coolangatta, a place we instantly fell in love with. The rhythm of the waves, the golden light of dawn and dusk, and the community built around the ocean made it feel like home.

Soon after arriving, I joined an underwater photography workshop with Marina Emerald, and the moment I slipped beneath the surface with my camera, I was hooked. Buying my first underwater housing opened up a whole new creative world, the ocean became both my canvas and my classroom. and I began documenting surfers, drawn to the connection they shared with the sea. Their flow and energy mirrored my own journey, especially the graceful rhythm of longboarders at Coolangatta, Snapper, Rainbow Bay, and Greenmount. As friendships grew, so did a desire to translate these experiences into something lasting.

That desire led me to collaborate with Dan from Aurora Surfboards, whose passion for design matched my vision. Together we created custom longboards featuring my art, each one a reflection of time in the water, friendships formed, and the stories the ocean tells. What began as photography has grown into Salty One: a way to celebrate belonging, creativity, and connection through the sea. I’m excited to share more artworks and projects with you in the months ahead.

A proud Nyul Nyul Saltwater Man, Lowell is strongly connected to the ocean. The stories he carves in the sand are from the heart and speak to the world that is, and what it can become.

Lowell Hunter is from the Kimberley’s in Western Australia, who grew up on Gunditjmara Country in Warrnambool, and now lives on Wathaurong Country, Geelong. Although far apart, each of these special places have kept Lowell strongly connected to the ocean his whole life.