The Power of Water and Tides, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Man Contemplating the Power of Water
On the last day of my recent trip to Iceland, we visited the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach at sunrise. It was an overcast day and the waves were huge. A giant storm was heading towards Iceland which later combined with another storm to create the bomb cyclone in England that prevented me from attending my uncle’s funeral. Someone told our guide said that another guide had to jump into the waves the day before to save two young children whom a father had let play on the beach. Thankfully, they were saved, but it could have turned out differently. We were advised to stand well back, as huge rogue waves could come crashing in at any moment. This man could not resist the temptation to stand close to the shoreline though. When I saw him standing there, I felt like I was witnessing a Caspar David Friedrich come to life. Though it was a risky move on his part, it made for a compelling composition and more intensely expressed the feelings I was having while standing at a safer distance.
Full Moon at Renisfjara Black Sand Beach
In the other direction, the full moon was lighting the other stacks and black sand beach. Though there were waves on that side of the beach, they were not as strong as the wind was blowing in a different direction. It was fitting that the moon was present, since it controls the tides. The black sand was dotted with snow and ice crystals that shimmered in the moonlight.
Approaching Waves, Reynisjfara Beach
The waves kept rolling in and in, relentlessly. These images were made in mid February as the tides of the world were changing, though I didn’t know how drastically yet then. As I have been pondering the virus that is spreading across the planet over the past month, the experience of standing on this beach keeps coming to mind. Something larger than us, unknown until now and relentlessly spreading, keeps threatening to pull us under and has simultaneously made us face our aloneness as we quarantine or face the disease. Will we possess the strength to determine the right course of action? Will we finally realize that we do not have complete control over Mother Nature? Perhaps this pandemic will teach us that we must learn to coexist with nature and each other not by force of will, but through science and understanding the laws of nature.
Mystical Wave, Reynisfjara Beach
These giant waves were not all threatening though. They were incredibly beautiful as they curled in on each other and whipped spray into the air and seemed almost mystical. The edges of the waves made fascinating shapes that reminded me of some of the icebergs I saw in waterfalls further north. To see the images later, with these waves frozen in time, revealed so much more than I could appreciate with my eyes that morning. It all happened so fast and it kept happening in so many directions. The shapes water takes in its various shapes are similar and yet different depending on motion.
Wall of Water with Japanese Wave in the Distance
The waves, the clouds foretelling the big storm to come, the walls of water approaching us on the beach made me truly understand how much respect is owed Mother Nature and how important it is to be able to read her signs. A few days later, the roads in all of Iceland were closed.
The Power of Water, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
It is funny how sometimes we feel most alive when we are powerless against nature’s forces, or maybe it is then that we realize how valuable the gift of life is since it could be extinguished at any moment.