#beach activity

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[brucestambaughsblog]

Sparkles All Around

Sparkles All Around.

I enjoy shooting photographs into the sun. It’s always challenging to get everything in focus and avoid the sun’s glare on the camera lens. When that happens, the results are exciting.

I loved everything about this photo. Your eyes go to the nearly silhouetted surfer headed home after a few hours in the Atlantic’s chilly waters. But it’s what’s all around him that made the…

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[thedailyrejection]

New Study Shows Presence of Sand, Ocean Causes Women to Synchronize Jumps

MIAMI - A new study published Tuesday by researchers at the University of Miami revealed that the presence of sand and ocean water causes women to synchronize their jumps. "The act of two or more women reaching a shoreline or beach area, particularly those that are with a group of friends, creates an overwhelming desire to perfectly time mass jumping in the air,” said study co-author Jenna Kademan, positing that the possession of photographical equipment may also influence the need to synchronize jumping, as such harmonized leaping was frequently documented on social media websites like Facebook and Instagram. “In most of the trials, we observed that the synchronization took several attempts, as there was usually one woman who jumped too early or too late.” Additionally, the study found that while men were willing to participate in the jumping, most expressed a stronger interest in burying a friend up to his neck in the sand.

(image via BDCwire)

[brucestambaughsblog]

Snowbird breakfast. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

By Bruce Stambaugh

A Bonaparte’s Gull landed in the salty water near where the grandfatherly gentleman stood focused on his seashell mission. The man didn’t notice the majestic bird still in its winter plumage. Instead, he gazed downward as the nearly calm ocean lapped at the shore.

Like so many other beachgoers, this human being searched for treasure. He pursued colorful shells, starfish, and shark’s teeth uncovered from their sandy hiding spots by the steadily moving waters.

The ocean glistened in the late morning sun, still not strong enough to fend off the cold north wind. That didn’t deter the gem hunters.

The joggers or walkers, often with a dog or two attached to leashes, also plied the sandy shoreline. The canines either forged ahead or got pulled along.

Click on photos to enlarge them.

Dawn’s early light. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

The man and the moon. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

The trawler. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

On the beach. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

Resting. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

Northern Gannet. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

Low tide. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

At sunrise, the Black Skimmers fed in their fashion, beaks skimming the water’s surface for seafood fare. Later they huddled on the warming sand, preening, resting, readying for their next expedition.

The magnificent Northern Gannets displayed a different approach. They flapped their long narrow wings, black tips contrasting sharply with the rest of their ivory feathers. The gannets sailed and circled. Once spotting their targets, they dived kamikaze-style into the ocean where they sat and swallowed their catch.

The Brown Pelicans mimicked the gannets in style but lacked the grace. The bulky birds sailed on the breeze until they spied their meal, then hurled themselves head first into the water. Their steam shovel-like bill had scooped in their prey before the birds righted themselves and downed the fish.

Trawlers trailed giant nets up and down the waters offshore snaring shrimp and fish. Scores of gulls, terns and gannets swirled madly behind the boat, hoping to catch any escaping seafood.

The ocean itself had split personalities. Sometimes tranquil, sometimes angry, the waters either licked or pounded at the shoreline depending on the ocean’s mood. If gale force winds accompanied high tide overnight, the gritty beach yielded.

What once was a gentle slope to the sea had had a makeover in the new moon darkness. The sunrise beachcombers had one, two or even three terraces to step down to the shore for their strolls.

Black Skimmer. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

Helicopters shuttled to and fro from a nearby Naval base just the way a pair of Ospreys zipped and hovered above the beach. The main difference was the birds weren’t practicing. For the Ospreys, a successful hunt meant survival.

Tiny Sanderlings scampered along the shore, too. Probing for nutrition, they zigzagged along the foamy sea edge as it ebbed and flowed.

Youngsters tossed a few gulls bits of bread. It didn’t take long for the boys to wish they hadn’t.

Shore fishermen cast their lines far out into the water, letting their live bait attract the fish they sought to reel in. Until then, they stuck the handle of the rod into a sturdy holder secured in the sand and took a seat.

Others only wanted to warm themselves in February’s sun, using the backs of their beach chairs for windbreaks. They read or were content just to be.

When the waves occasionally called their names, locals dressed in wet suits carried surfboards, waded into the water, and paddled out for the perfect wave. When they got a good one, they rode it until the curl collapsed.

In dawn’s golden light, pods of dolphins coursed the waters for their breakfasts. Their bobbing dorsal fins foretold their way. They were mesmerizing to watch, a model of all activity along a winter’s beach.

A full moon rises above the Belt of Venus on the eastern horizon of the Atlantic Ocean caused by the sunset on the western horizon. © Bruce Stambaugh 2015

© Bruce Stambaugh 2015

Seaside musings help while away winter By Bruce Stambaugh A Bonaparte’s Gull landed in the salty water near where the grandfatherly gentleman stood focused on his seashell mission.

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Snorkeler’s paradise

Caribbean Travel & Life named Snorkeling at No Name Beach, Klein Bonaire one of the best beach activities in their February 2012 edition. Read all about it!

[nicoleconnolly]

"Resting Murphy"

Donkey Series Post 4 of 6