Coastal Power
Fort Fisher, NC is a very special place. A confederate fort that was build during the civil war to prevent ships from coming near, created a near perfect point break that reeled from the first cove down through federal point, one that we now call The Cove. What once was one of the premiere surf breaks on the east coast is now just a simple beach break that, even on perfect swells, shows only a glimpse of the perfection it held back in its glory days. This day showed that glimpse.
One of my best friends and I made the 45 minute drive down on a day we had been looking for to go down there. Swell direction, wind, and tide (a very important factor) all looked right. Low tide is crucial for The Cove, where the sand is shallow enough to throw a left hand barrel that is about as square as a carboard box. Typically, you’d paddle out at the first or second cove, but the best break this time was right behind the rocks. With the dead low tide beginning to rise, we knew we wouldn’t have very long before the waves started washing into the rocks. We surfed for a few hours, with each wave starting to backwash more and more. Eventually making it next to impossible to surf.
After many waves and a broken surfboard, it was time to be done. We left, changed out of our wetsuits and were about to leave, when we saw a massive wave backwash high over the rocks. Immediately I thought about taking a photo of that backwash. I grabbed my camera and ran on down the beach. As I am standing near the water in my bare feet and pleated trousers (work day), my mind was far more focused on the backwash. I began shooting with my Canon 55-250 F:5.6 to get as much compression as I could. Before I know it, after shooting a wave that came through, I find myself shin deep in saltwater. Learned my lesson to go ahead and take a look of where I am before the waves actually come in! Backing up a few feet, and rolling up my trousers to not get anymore wet than they already were, I see another big splash of backwash coming in.
The wave hit the rocks with so much force I almost wanted to watch without a camera. Remembering that I am in fact a photographer, I got ready to shoot. The wave coming in hit perfectly with the wave going out, resulting in the image you see above. As soon as I saw it on the back of my LCD screen, I knew I wanted this photo to be in black and white. Editing the photo in the black and white, to me, shows the power of the wave so much more. Photos like this get me so excited to take more and more photos. Taking photos like this is an absolute dram of mine, and I would be willing to say that we all have a dream. I believe that dream should scare you. If it doesn’t, you’re not dreaming big enough. Whatever you do, don’t let that dream break. Go do everything you can to live it out. Let this photo be an inspiration for you, it certainly is for me.
