Water Power

I came across this film maker's work via a photographer friend in Houston. He sends an item my way every now and again knowing my taste for the eclectic.

Swimming in the open ocean is a common fear and not without foundation. The ocean is just a whole lot of water and contains just a whole lot of lifeforms of uncertain disposition. I remember one time swimming along the shore in Florida. I stood up in the shallows just in time to see a young very skinny snake-like eel swim by. I did not scream. I did get out of the water. On the contrary, however, I remember swimming in the ocean in Hawaii and watching a sea turtle zipping along in the waves nearby. That moment I felt it was only good fortune to be so close to that big reptile and I loved being in that warm surf.

In spite of those two stories I am not an open water or ocean swimmer. I'm a pool guy. I like my water with boundaries, at or above 84 degrees, and I always insist on being able to at least see the bottom, even if I can't touch it standing. That aside, I do love the ocean and one of my favorite ways to enjoy a beach is to walk along the sandy shore. And in that, one of my all time favorite experiences is the Oregon coast in winter. That's when storms generate massive surf, the sound of which can be heard from blocks away, and the percussion of which you can feel in your chest as you watch from the beach. I may be a pool guy but I love, and stand in awe of that wild ocean; best enjoyed as the storm rages and you walk along bundled in your foul weather best.

Whatever your take on water, there can be no denying that one of the most incredible experiences available to mere mortals is to stand and observe, feel, and hear the awesome power of nature-- to watch the ocean crash and explode. This video takes me there; a direct flight from my desk in Michigan. It's not the raging Oregon coast but it's every bit as humbling. The YouTube version is somewhat degraded vs. the film maker's post on Vimeo. To see this spectacle by Chris Bryan "first hand" in HD click here and skip the clip below. Amazing.