Fortitude

This reef break is located just offshore, in the Australian State of New South Wales, along the Southern Coast. When conditions are right, it is a spectacular display of Mother Nature’s power!

Swell coming across the open ocean builds and builds until it meets its demise at this shallow reef break. As each wave starts to form, a massive amount of water is sucked back, practically exposing the shallow reef temporarily. The waves then break over the reef often with unique, gnarly looking deformities in spectacular fashion. Again, like most subjects I choose to shoot, it has its challenges. There are lots of sharks that frequent this area, white’s, bronze whalers, tigers and bull sharks. There are the breaking waves, the shallow reef, a strong current that can suck you into the turbulent white water or drag you back towards the jagged rock face cliff on shore. Simply getting into the water here on these heavy swell days is a challenge in itself. (I almost had a serious accident myself) You time your jump off the sharp, barnacle covered rocks with the incoming swell. You then paddle on a boogie board through the turbulent shark infested waters with one hand as you kick with your fins (making you appear very seal-like from below) while you hold your camera housing in the other hand. Once into position, you must constantly kick like crazy to hold that position, all while trying to compose a photo in the chaos.