wind and wave collision …………..

Wind and waves in the Western Cape have made frequent apperances in my blog. We’ve talked about the cape of storms and its impact on shipping, the lighthouse story at Cape point and Agulhas, we’ve talked about the various wind/water sports in some areas too. But I dont think we’ve just looked at these two elements on their own. Two major aspects of Nature that are often at loggerheads with one another. 

The wind intensity can be quite intense in this region, where wind speeds of gale force happen regularly. Port Elizabeth may be known as the windy City, but dont underestimate the wind in the Western Cape. Sometimes when the wind blows with intensity it is almost unrelenting, it just maintains that constant velocity, and some parts of the inner city become almost not navigable. Walk around a corner between two buildings and the wind that is being chanelled between the buildings can literally lift you off your feet, so hold onto your skirts, ladies :-). But, for now keep your feet on the ground, we’re at the seaside 🙂  

It was about a month ago, that I happened to be driving along the promenade, which is a pedestrain walkway which winds itself along the coastline adjacent to the city. Somehow on this day, the wind and waves seemed to be working against one another, whilst the wind was blowing off shore with serious intensity, the waves on the other hand were just obeying the laws of nature and charging towards before crashing onto the shore. Of course this results in very choppy seas, but the drama was really at the point of contact between these two forces. The waves were not unusually high, though high enough to witness the collision between these two forces of nature. As the wave was about to come crashing down, the wind which was blowing in the opposite direction was generating a salt water spray at the crest of the wave.

The wind chill factor was quite high, and the intensity of wind made it almost difficult to stand outside. So, I decided to brave life and limb to get some images for this blog :-):-). I put on all the winter gear I had, and held on firmly to my camera to try and shoot a few images. Keeping the camera steady was a challenge in itself, and making sure that it was pointed in the right direction to try and capture the moment proved even more difficult. But fear not, I have some images to tell the tale, some perhaps a bit out of focus, and shaken, but yet good enough to share this confrontation. The journey continues………………………..