Foaming Seas

The wet weather persists, keeping me – and the foxes – under cover. Occasionally though I think I see a glimpse of blue in the sky and this afternoon I risked the short trip to Rottingdean. I left home in sunshine and arrived a few minutes later in rain. It was intermittent (the winds move it on quickly enough), and I went down to the beach to investigate. It wasn't crowded, but a surprising number of people were out enjoying the bracing sea air; a fair few had cameras too.

It wasn't the sea crashing high into the sea-wall that was attracting the attention of the snappers. It was this… sea foam.

Sea foam

Sea foam

There were piles of the foam scattered along the beach, seemingly migrating in the wind and flying into everything in its path. It was job to keep the camera lens clear. On days like today it's more or less essential to use a filter (easier to clean, and if there is any damage it's a lot cheaper to replace a filter than a lens).

Sea foam

Sea foam

Strange stuff indeed, but naturally occurring. And while that's the most I've ever seen it falls some way short of this example from Australia. Now that's a lot of foam.

With the winds so high the birds were generally keeping away from the shore, though a cormorant wandered in a little closer than they do usually.
Cormorant

And yes, I did take a few photos of the sea. I couldn't really not.

Rough seas

Rough seas

Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens and UV filter.

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This Post Has 22 Comments

  1. Dudley

    23 Nov 2009

    Impressive seas, WOW!

  2. gdare

    23 Nov 2009

    I have never seen a sea foam in my life, but this is normal considering that I live in continental part. It would be fun to see it, though.
    I bet those two standing there by the fence were completely soaked 😆

  3. Flying Red Fox Blog

    23 Nov 2009

    Wow! :yikes: i thought you had snow for a while then hehe 😆 The Weather is certainly very wild, iam glad i went to Cumbria the other week or i would have been stranded by floods!

  4. cakkleberrylane

    24 Nov 2009

    I thought it looked like snow as well. Very interesting pictures!

  5. studio41

    24 Nov 2009

    AMAZING! enjoyed this post very much.

  6. SittingFox

    24 Nov 2009

    That is really astonishing. It looks almost like pack ice! :eyes:

  7. fainoantonietta

    25 Nov 2009

    :yikes: Interesting pics 🙂

  8. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Adele, a video would have been handy. It was constantly moving, almost prehensile.

  9. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Mark, it does look like snow doesn't it. And I'm glad you missed the floods. It sounds awful up there.

  10. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Lois, it's very strange stuff, but great to watch in the wind.

  11. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Antonietta, thanks!

  12. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Andy, thanks! It was pretty wild out there.

  13. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Darko, the sea foam was weird but quite impressive. And yes, they'd have got a soaking by the wall.

  14. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Jill, thanks!

  15. Words

    26 Nov 2009

    Thanks Erwin!

  16. Tabmartel

    28 Nov 2009

    Great pictures!
    Makes me wantt to go take a hot bubble bath…

    Living in Canada at this time of year, it's easy to picture snow.

  17. Ukwildlife

    28 Nov 2009

    Great photo. Ive never seen that much foam before. And that Australian foam is something else…

  18. Words

    29 Nov 2009

    Neil, thanks!

  19. Words

    29 Nov 2009

    Thanks Tab!

  20. Cynthia23

    7 Dec 2009

    Yeah! :up: Really cool photos!

  21. Words

    7 Dec 2009

    Thanks Cynthia!

  22. Wulpen

    19 Oct 2012

    Wow a great set of pict

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