A cyclone is creeping towards the Queensland Coastline. Our area of South East Queensland is not in danger from the cyclone, it will hit land several hundred kilometres north of us, however the effects of it are already showing down on the beaches.
ISO 200 f/14 1/320 Focal length 86mm
ISO 200 f/14 1/320 Focal length 86mm On Friday I took my camera out for a spin and even though the rain did fall for a bit, I ignored it - it was time to take more pictures!
I had heard that the sea was messy. A major surf lifesaving championship was being held at Broadbeach and the surf boats were not coping with the seas at all well - several of them had been broken in half and many capsized on the rough water. So I wanted to see for myself how the seas looked. Firstly I drove to Burleigh Heads - a few kilometers south of Broadbeach - and watched as several surfy enthusiasts tried and tried to catch a wave. As you can see from my images, the waves were a bit difficult to "read".
I had heard that the sea was messy. A major surf lifesaving championship was being held at Broadbeach and the surf boats were not coping with the seas at all well - several of them had been broken in half and many capsized on the rough water. So I wanted to see for myself how the seas looked. Firstly I drove to Burleigh Heads - a few kilometers south of Broadbeach - and watched as several surfy enthusiasts tried and tried to catch a wave. As you can see from my images, the waves were a bit difficult to "read".
ISO 200 f/14 1/320 Focal length 150mm Walking further up the headland to where many surfers access the water rather than paddle out from the beach. As you can see from my second image, it is a dangerous practice in rough seas! The water was churning rather than rolling predictably but this young man cleared the rocks in next to no time. I was very impressed! (If I was his mother I would have been terrified at his choice of launching pad!)
From Burleigh I moved to Broadbeach a little further up the coast than the surf titles and took my shot of the waves. They are not really all that huge but you can see that the sea is very unstable. We noticed (Colin was with me) a couple of helicopters and a fixed wing plane zipping up and down and assumed they were filming the competition. However later, when we watched the evening news, we discovered that they were actually searching for a missing lifesaver who, very sadly, was drowned while participating in his race.
From Burleigh I moved to Broadbeach a little further up the coast than the surf titles and took my shot of the waves. They are not really all that huge but you can see that the sea is very unstable. We noticed (Colin was with me) a couple of helicopters and a fixed wing plane zipping up and down and assumed they were filming the competition. However later, when we watched the evening news, we discovered that they were actually searching for a missing lifesaver who, very sadly, was drowned while participating in his race.
ISO 200 f/11 1/500 Focal length 18mm
You can just make out the fixed wing beach patrol plane in my photo. Colin told me when I remarked on its multiple passes, that it was used to patrol the beaches and was cheaper to operate than the helicopters.
ISO200 f/9 1/1250 Focal length 125mm
My final shot was taken at the Spit - just north of Surfers Paradise. The sand-pumping jetty is a favourite haunt for fishermen but you can see now the actual size of the waves - now that there are some fixtures to give scale. After taking this picture I walked back to the car and passed a parked van with a trailer who's driver was just about to unload lots of surfboards from his trailer. The sign was offering to teach people how to surf. A Japanese man with a very large pro camera was busy taking shots of the unloading of the boards so maybe a bunch of young people were going to give him some exciting video to send home!
What a sea in which to learn how to surf!
AJ
Beautiful shots. I know my Mom wouldn't let me go out into a lake let alone an ocean if the waves were half that size!
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