Saturday 10 December 2016

North Coast Waves

I could sit all day on a lonely beach like the one we visited yesterday and watch the waves come in.

It's not just in awe at their power, nor is it the excitement of the sudden way they rise as they approach the beach, nor is it the fascination we humans have for watching something magnificent destroyed, it's that....

 ....every wave is different, and has its own character. Its height as it rises, its profile along its length, the way it rears and curves over and folds before crashing downwards into a seething welter of foam, all....

....controlled by its individual history, by the winds that created it far out in the ocean, by the distance it has travelled, and by innumerable variables as it approaches this rocky coast.

The more one watches, the more one notices - like that there is a rhythm in the sequence of waves. For a time, the sea seems almost calm, then one large breaker arrives, followed by two or three even bigger, before the size of those that follow diminishes.

I could spend all day watching the waves come in.

The islands visible along the horizon are Eigg and Muck. The ship is the Ronja Challenger.

6 comments:

  1. I have sat for hours on the rocks at the Lighthouse over the years watching the crashes! This simple pleasure is just wonderful! There are so many vantage points all with different views and wave formations! Thank you Jon for your fantastic blog. Reading it is my daily treat! Sara

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for your kind words, Sara - so please you enjoy the blog. Jon

    ReplyDelete
  3. that is the reason I must live close to the sea - for the very sake of my soul. I lived in northeast Glasgow for a year or so and I was so very homesick for the sea. I try to walk along the seafront most evenings. I would absolutely love to live right on the shore. I also love reading the blog - thanks Jon for your updates x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I couldn't agree more with your point about the sea being good for the soul. Again, thank you all for your kind words about the blog. Jon

    ReplyDelete