Category Archives: Sea

Another One Goes Down

I’ve been watching houses wash into the ocean for years, and it’s always an experience of power. Nothing is permanent near the surf zone. Back in the 70’s and 80’s , I lived in north Rodanthe for over 10 glorious years. Some of the best times of my life were spent there. Storms and shifting sands are a constant. The wind and waves, quite literally shape this place. And nothing stands in the way.

My good friend Joe Kierzkowski will usually give me a call when something of significance is happening. He got me at 4AM when the Bonner Bridge fell down in 1990. And this Sunday, at a more respectable hour, he phoned about a house that was beginning to lean into the ocean.

Denise and I got there just as high tide was peaking, and sure enough we were witnessing a big one ready to go down. The McMansion was built on a very dynamic beach only 5 or 6 years ago, complete with pool, jacuzzi and numerous other amenities. I wondered how many flat screen tv’s were inside. And here before our very eyes it’s all going into the ocean. Imagine that!

Every now and then, we could hear the sound of splitting lumber. At one point there was a loud crack when a wave hit. Then the building dropped to one side, another splitting sound and it leaned further. And finally dropping completely off the pilings, and resting on the beach…. all with 10 seconds.

Last night the building survived the following high tide, and is becoming quite a tourist attraction.

My Date with Tropical Storm Hanna

Like most residents of the Outer Banks, I keep an eye on tropical weather system development. This isn’t only due to to survival, but also because I relish these storms as photographic subjects. Recently, Hanna was no exception. Once again, we were fortunate to avoid a direct hit. My sister in Raleigh had more wind and rain than we did.

As the storm moved inland up into the piedmont region, we saw large seas and swirling clouds. Strong westerlies brought some minor flooding from the Pamlico Sound. By mid afternoon the skies brightened as my wife and I watched a dark band of rain move eastward over the ocean. The swells cleaned up, and remained strong. I went to work shooting beachscapes on Pea Island, accompanied by Denise.

Later that afternoon, the clouds and lighting conditions were setting up for another go. I returned to Pea Island for the end of the day. The ocean and sky were spectacular. After lots of exposures and experimenting with different shots that day, I felt pretty good.

I.D. Midgett

Id Gillnetting

This is my good friend and neighbor I.D. Midgett. He has been on the water his entire life. When I moved to Hatteras Island in 1973, many people there made their living commercial fishing. It’s a very physical and difficult occupation and is highly regulated. Commercial fishermen are close to nature and the weather. Their lives revolve around it. Nowadays tourism and real estate development have taken over. Very few locals are fishing for their livelihoods any more. Like many of our traditional cultures, this one is being lost.