Monday, September 04, 2006

sunsets & jellies...


it's a bad time of year for jellyfish. red-purple pancakes beached on the rocks, i stumble upon several in a row. sometimes they are not yet shipwrecked on the shore, but lapping in the waves at water's edge, waiting for the tide to drop and leave them stranded. i am never sure what causes this mass exodus from the sea, but there just seems to be certain times of year when they can be found. there are dozens of gelatinous mounds clinging to the rocks all the way along my short walk.

in the foreground of the photo above you can see one of the jellyfish stuck on the sand. this photo is a bit deceptive - while it was a beautiful sunset, the colours were more in the pale peaches and pinks. here i switched over to a tungsten filter for a few shots to change the mood.

last year, on a trip to tofino, we took to the expansive stretches of sand that i so love about the west coast, and discovered hundreds of electric blue sail jellyfish. after reading up, i discovered sail jellyfish cannot propel themselves, but are swept hither and thither according to the ocean's currents. therefore, their plight on the beach made more sense - they had no choice. but these large maroon jellies - i don't get it.


i had a wonderful walk in the fading light while A. took a small group on a sunset kayak tour. what a perfect night to be on the water.

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