There is something hypnotic about watching a wave approaching the shoreline knowing the inevitability that the wave will ‘break’; but that before that moment is reached it will gain a rolling crest. What intrigued me most as I watched the waves roll in alongside a small concrete jetty was the way that the surface of the sea was delineated by lines, both before and following the crest.
I could have stood there for many minutes just watching this perpetual motion, no two waves the same. Each one unpredictable, some curved, some sinuous. The break point variable.
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Wonderful, simple image, Andy. Adrian
Many thanks Adrian.
This is hypnotizing, Andy! 🙂 A great and powerful photo.
Thank you Dina. I don’t think I’ve ever shot an image of the sea quite like this. I can’t wait to experiment a little further.
Does the current play a role?
BTW, if you are up north in Norway, make sure you don’t miss Saltstraumen, the strongest tidal currents in the world. 🙂
You could easily have filled your memory card with good images without moving. And each would be a winner.
Thanks Ken. Yes, I could easily have shot a lot more images and then given myself a headache trying to choose which one was the best
Love this shot- great eye for detail, Andy. Very strong composition.
Thanks Jane. It was a rewarding few minutes.
That is a stunning wave…a true beauty.
Thanks Paula. I don’t think I’ve ever studied wave movement from the side before – at least not from a photographic perspective. Mesmerizing.
I can just spend hours watching the waves Andy and have done many times. This really is a lovely photograph!
This was something completely new to me, Adrian. And I will certainly be wave watching again.
I’ve spent a lot of time wave-watching, but this is a new perspective for me. It’s quite wonderful: sinuous and intricate on the one hand, yet utterly simple on the other. Well done!
Interesting to read that comment, Linda. These were waves of low magnitude and that may have something to do with what I observed. Only time will tell, because I will be back to that location again.
Do you close your comments after a time? I tried to leave this link about spider silk on your “Gossamer Threads” entry, but there wasn’t a place to do so. Anyway, I thought you’d be interested. I left the link to your entry on the biologist’s site, so if you’ve closed comments, you might want to open them for that piece, in case someone has a question or comment.
Comments were set to close after a month – I did that deliberately to stop a lot of spam commenting, and it seems to have worked. I have now changed the setting following this note from you to 90 days, so do please go ahead and leave the link where it logically belongs.
I got the comment transferred — feel free to delete this one!
I have replied on the relevant page. Thanks so much Linda for your interest in this phenomenon.
Amazing picture.
Thanks very much for your comment.
What I love about your image — apart from the wonderful composition — is that one can sense both the stillness of the moment, and the tension that is building underneath that wave, propelling it forward. Stunning work, Andy.
I know exactly what you mean, Heather – and thank you for your comment. Watching those waves rolling in was a very calming experience and yet underneath that calm was the unpredictable tension of when will the wave break.
You really captured a smooth and elegant wave in this photos. And I agree with you there is something quite hypnotic about water breaking onto a shoreline.
Many thanks Otto.
No doubt its a great click but what made this post a true winner is your understanding of it and the way you have put it into words!
Thanks you very much for our comment, Yamini, and welcome to my blog.
Mesmerizing….
Many thanks Scott.