Yellow and orange poppies, taken in my garden today after a summer shower.

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Photographed at the lakeshore in Currachase Forest Park, Co. Limerick.

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Endure the present, and watch for better things.
Virgil.

The foreground objects are kelp. Some sticks of kelp seem to have become embedded in the stones of the beach. Not placed by me, but I decided to make use of them in the foreground. No doubt they were washed in by a storm and will be washed away again before long.

Because of the long exposure (1.3 sec) the rushing waves caused movement in the kelp. There was no way of avoiding this and still getting the streaks made by the retreating surf.

Looking at how the kelp clung to the shingle of the beach and how the shark fin shaped rock endured the advancing tide made me think about how much endurance is a part of existence.

Tags:   landscape seascape Ireland coast Cork kelp ocean shore beach stone sky evening motion streak sea tide wave cloud liveforphotos Sean Reidy DragonDaggerPhoto

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The story of how I got to this beach is unusual in itself. I was in West Cork yesterday in stormy conditions. After a very windy walk along the edge of some cliffs I came upon a cove where there was a stony beach, which could only be reached by way of some steep concrete steps and at the end, a descent via a rope attached to a cliff face. You come to a point when the steps peter out and the descent is along a steep cliff edge. To get down, you have to go down backwards into the unknown, holding the rope and searching for footholds and handholds. With about four stones weight on my back, between my camera bag and my tripod, and wearing wellington boots, I must confess I wondered if it was worth it. It was stormy. I was alone. Mobile phone coverage was patchy. If I got trapped on that beach with the tide coming in, nobody would be able to find me. It was a genuine decision whether to risk it. But something told me that this was one of those watershed moments when you are empowered by getting beyond the obstacle. So I threw caution to the wind and risked my 56 year-old body by going over the edge even though I did not know whether I could make it down and back.

When I got down to the beach, the wind was so strong that it was whipping rubbish up into the air and whirling it in circles in front of the cliff. You could hear the plastic bottles and other objects banging off each other. The surf was pounding in, and I was soon soaked by extra high waves that caught me by surprise and flooded my wellies. I could feel the stones in the waves, whacking against my shins. But at that stage, I was committed and kept going. I spotted this fin of rock, which was unfortunately too far out in the surf to get as close as I would have liked. For once, I abandoned my tripod and increased the ISO to 800 in order to handhold the camera. I waited for a moment when the water was receding and ran out as far as I dared to take some handheld shots. then I ran back as the big waves came in. Salt spray was a major problem, as a southerly gale was blowing onshore. I had to clean the grad filter I was using every 30 seconds.

This went on for some time, until I got the shot I wanted. Am I mad? Almost certainly. Was it worth it? Definitely! What a rush! I wouldn't have missed it for the world. And you know what? I'm going back there. Wild horses wouldn't keep me away.

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"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. "

From Sea Fever, by John Masefield.

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