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Beaches & Coasts 102 images Created 3 Apr 2012

Images of beaches and coasts and the natural wild beauty of North America.

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  • Not too long ago I was traveling across Oregon Coast on a nature photography trip with an old friend and one of the places he wanted to check out was Thor's Well, located about midway down the state's incredible coastline at a place called Cape Perpetua. <br />
<br />
Formed out of natural volcanic rock (basalt), this wild geologic anomaly was probably formed by a cave beaten into the cliff that eventually collapsed forming this unusual seeming deep hole in the ground but is actually open underwater to the surf. This causes water to explode violently upward through the "well", followed by the foamy water to duck back down into the depths of the earth.<br />
<br />
It was utterly fascinating, even if I did get hit and completely soaked by one of the infamous rogue waves of the Pacific Ocean.
    Thor's Well
  • Ancient monolithic sentinels of basalt and time, these wondrous sea stacks were photographed near the Pistol River on Oregon's southern coastline.
    Sea Stacks on the Oregon Coast
  • There is nothing like the California Coastline. That was evident here as I climbed high atop the cliffs in the Del Norte Redwoods State Park on a windy, hazy November afternoon. It just takes your breath away to stand in this spot in person!
    Del Norte Coast, Northern California
  • Sabal palms in silhouette on a glorious sunset over Apalachicola Bay.
    A Sense of Place
  • This massive rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks. This one was photographed just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Haystack Rock
  • The rocky coastline of Cape Flattery is located at the most extreme northwestern corner of the contiguous United States. Millennia of pounding waves, tides and erosion have sculpted the landscape into something from a fairytale.
    Sea Stacks of Cape Flattery
  • Another day ends beautifully with a dazzling sunset over Apalachicola Bay on the Florida Panhandle.
    All's Well That Ends Well.....
  • A vividly memorable and bitterly cold sunset on Oregon's Cannon Beach.
    Pacific Sunset
  • Mangrove roots at dusk in Chokoluskee, Florida with the Ten Thousand Islands just beyond.
    Chokoloskee Mangroves
  • Dusk settles and sea mist rises among the cliffs and seastacks at Tolovana Beach on the Oregon Coast.
    Light and Shadows
  • An amazing sunset in a salt marsh in Estero, Florida. This shallow water was hot from the sun, and the mud could devour your shoes, but the reflection was gorgeous!
    Estero Bay Salt Marsh
  • Sea oats blowing in the wind of a chilly Atlantic breeze on Bald Head Island on one of North Carolina's most beautiful beaches.
    Sea Oats & Sunrise
  • An amazing late afternoon on Ruby Beach on Washington's Olympic Peninsula during the golden hour, when the light is warm and radiant while the evening cools and colors can appear both warm and cool at the same time.
    Ruby Beach
  • One of "The Needles" - one of three tall basalt spires of volcanic rock near the massive Haystack Rock on Oregon's coast on Cannon Beach. Around about 15 to 16 million years old, these columns are very slowly eroding with every wave and every changing tide.
    The Needles of Cannon Beach
  • Mashes Sands near the mouth of the Ochlockonee River in North Florida on the Gulf Coast.
    Clouds over Mashes Sands
  • This wild seascape was shot as a storm was coming in from the Pacific Ocean at the Washington-Oregon border at the mouth of the Columbia River, photographed from the Oregon side.
    Storm Coming In!
  • One of the most beautiful coastlines in the world - Oregon's Clatsop County from Ecola State Park to Cannon Beach, at sunset.
    The Oregon Coast
  • A setting sun in all its glory over the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. I was trying to create a sense of drama and movement with this photograph.
    Dramatic Sunset on Cape San Blas
  • After spending much of the day waiting for the fog and haze to lift, I managed to get this shot while walking up and down the beach just outside of the Del Norte Redwoods State Park in Northern California.
    Misty Late Afternoon on Crescent Bea..rnia
  • Driftwood and tree stumps on a rural beach on Cape San Blas, Florida.
    Timeless Florida Coast
  • An incredible fiery sunset on a rare sunny winter evening on Oregon's Tillamook Head - just north of Cannon Beach.
    Sunset on Tillamook Head, Oregon
  • Sea stacks tower above the sitka spruce that line the Pacific coastline of Washington's Rialto Beach and Olympic National Park.
    Sea Stacks and Coastline at Rialto B..gton
  • A rare and strange formation of coquina rocks on Florida's Atlantic coast. The sky was overcast that morning and was perfect for shooting crashing waves!
    The Rocky Coast
  • A spectacular sunrise on the Atlantic coast on Bald Head Island, North Carolina.
    Sunrise on Bald Head Island
  • Snail Rock with a lone bald eagle perched on top on the Makah Indian Reservation near Neah Bay, Washington. This huge rock stands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca which separates Washington State from British Columbia, Canada (which you can clearly see in the background). When the tide is lower, more exposed rock on either side of it (where the surf is) makes it look like a giant snail!
    Snail Rock
  • A breathtaking view of Cape Flattery and the Pacific Ocean in Washington's most extreme Northwest corner.
    Cape Flattery
  • A wildly orange sunset over St. George Island on the Florida Panhandle. Even though the mosquitoes were awful and something big was buzzing around my head, the end result was  very worth it.
    Tangerine Sunset
  • The Oregon Coast is renowned for its natural beauty, sea stacks, and gorgeous sunsets. I caught this rock formation in the late afternoon "golden light" and focused on the interplay between light and shadow.
    Oregon Sea Stacks in Golden Light
  • A wildly pink sunrise on a rare below-freezing winter morning over the Ochlockonee Bay on Florida's northern Gulf Coast.
    Ochlockonee Bay Sunrise
  • A thunderstorm looms over St. Joe's Bay on the Florida Panhandle.
    St. Joe's Bay
  • One of the most beautiful places in all of Florida - Cedar Key, at sunset.
    Boathouse on Cedar Key
  • A fantastic cloudscape at the beach in the evening. Nothing more beautiful than a sunset with an incoming storm on the beach!
    Mashes Sands Storm
  • A beautiful blue sky over Florida's St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge where the salt marshes and freshwater marshes meet.
    Clouds over St. Marks
  • The rising sun at Lighthouse Point on Sanibel Island.
    Sanibel Sunrise
  • It was a rare morning where the temperature dipped a few degrees below freezing, and the frost on the ground looked a lot like snow in my car’s headlights. It was so worth it, as I was rewarded with the most stunning sunrise I’ve seen in a long time! Winter often offers interesting colors and hues with the first hints of light, but this was something special….. just pure beauty in all its glory!
    Dawn Over the Salt Marsh
  • This beautiful sunset was photographed in North Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. The tree stumps in the water are old pine trees after hurricanes and erosion have turned the forest into coastline.
    Cape San Blas Sunset
  • The beautiful Florida Gulf Coast just south of Tallahassee, Florida where everything is still wild and free!
    St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
  • Evidence of a running bobcat on North Florida's St. Joseph Peninsula on the Gulf Coast. Here, there is a large population of these native wildcats, as well as a huge variety of resident and migratory birds. Some of the area's most endangered rodents found here burrow into these rare dunes for shelter, as you can see here.
    Bobcat Tracks across the Sand Dunes
  • One of the most beautiful places in all of Florida - Cedar Key, at sunset.
    Sunset over Cedar Key
  • Sunset photographed in Bonita Springs, Florida in June 2009. It was one of those strange evening skies that was incredibly colorful and busy. Glad I was out working that night!
    Bonita Springs Sunset
  • Photograph of the Gulf of Mexico, photographed from atop one of the 25-foot dunes that parallel the coast (using the boardwalk of course - it is illegal to walk on the dunes themselves for several ecological and environmental reasons).
    St. Joseph Peninsula Dunes
  • After waiting and then almost giving up due to the fog, the sun burned through enough of it for me to get this shot.
    Foggy Dawn and the Burning Sun
  • Wind Cove opens out into the Pacific Ocean on the Southern Oregon Coast and is a shallow protected cove and sandy beach. It seems that just about every mile along this coastline has jaw-dropping views and  rock formations (called sea stacks), even if the weather is just a little bit hazy, like this day was.
    Wind Cove, Oregon Coast
  • Standing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Seal Rock is a favorite resting place for various species of seals, sea lions and seabirds on the on the Makah Indian Reservation near the Northwestern tip of Washington State.
    Seal Rock
  • Black & White image of driftwood and tree stumps on a rural beach on Cape San Blas, Florida.
    Timeless Florida Coast
  • Red Mangroves on an idyllic day on Sanibel Island.
    The Mangrove Coast
  • An incredible fiery sunset on a rare sunny winter evening on Oregon's Tillamook Head - just north of Cannon Beach.
    Sunset on Sea Lion Rock, Oregon
  • A perfect day on Sanibel Island on Lighthouse Point.
    Sky, Sea, and Sand
  • A rare and strange formation of coquina rocks on Florida's Atlantic coast at Washington Oaks. The sky was overcast that morning and was perfect for shooting crashing waves!
    Florida's Rocky Coast
  • One thing you never think about when you think of Florida is sand dunes, yet on the Florida Panhandle there is a long thin finger of land that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico that is covered in high sweeping sand dunes!
    The Dunes of St. Joseph Peninsula
  • Red Mangroves along the edge of Hickory Island in Bonita Springs, Florida.
    Hickory Island Mangroves
  • Salt marshes along the Florida Panhandle Coast. This brackish waterway to the Gulf of Mexico plays a key role in the life cycle of most of our marine and estuary sealife.
    Carrabelle Salt Marshes
  • Low tide at Mashes Sands on Florida's Gulf Coast. As part of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge - it is protected from development.
    Mashes Sands
  • This purely wild coastline on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, is the meeting point where the Pacific Ocean joins the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    Washington's Rocky Coast
  • A distant thunderhead over the Gulf of Mexico at Mashes Sands in North Florida.
    Offshore Storm
  • A perfect winter day on Captiva Island, Florida.
    Winter on Captiva Island
  • The rocky coastline and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Washington's wild north coast. British Columbia, Canada can be see on the right across the water.
    Wilderness Coastline
  • A perfect combination of low tide, the last rays of sunlight, and a spectacular  location made for a very satisfying photograph with rippled sand and ultra-vivid colors as I waited out the sunset on Washington's Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park on the Pacific Ocean.
    Ruby Beach at Last Light
  • Sometimes there are patterns that emerge in nature that you can't help but notice. I saw this wavy, wet pattern of sand and salt water at Crescent Beach just outside of Crescent City, California.
    Surf, Sand and Water
  • Red Mangroves on an idyllic day on Sanibel Island.
    The Mangrove Coast
  • Very early on a chilly fall morning, just before sunrise on the Olympic Peninsula's Rialto Beach on Washington's Pacific Coast. Stands of dead sitka spruce trees line the shore (standing and fallen or washed ashore) on one of North America's most spectacular remote beaches.
    Rialto Beach at Dawn
  • Caspersen Beach in Venice, Florida. This is one of the best beaches for finding fossils, particularly shark teeth.
    Caspersen Beach
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!
    Lover's Key Sunset
  • Amazing rock formations at the Blowing Rocks Preserve on Jupiter Island, Florida. This limestone rock wall is an exposed ancient coral reef that gets pounded by the Atlantic Ocean incessantly.
    Blowing Rocks Preserve 1
  • There are holes in the wall that lead to the surface, resulting in magnificent sprays of water shooting high into the air when a wave crashes into it just right.
    Blowing Rocks Preserve 2
  • This is an amazing place to visit, and it is really hard to think that this is a Florida beach.
    Blowing Rocks Preserve 3
  • A storm brewing off of Sanibel Island.
    Sanibel Storm
  • Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Just in the right spot at the right time.
    Sunset at Lover's Key
  • Portrait of the beach on Sanibel Island.
    Land, Sea & Air
  • Cabbage Palm on Sanibel Island taken from a very relaxing position on the beach!
    The Best View
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!
    Boating at Lover's Key
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!.
    Lover's Key
  • Last light as the sun dips in into the Gulf of Mexico on Cape San Blas.
    Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico
  • A clear sky, yet a vibrant sunset on an early fall evening on Longboat Key.
    Longboat Key Sunset
  • A look at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the northern coast of Washington along the Salish Sea, less than a mile from the Canadian border. The cold waters here are known for orcas (killer whales), several species of other whales, salmon, sea lions, seals, dungeness crabs and many more wonderful things that embody the Pacific Northwest's sealife.
    Strait of Juan de Fuca
  • A truly breathtaking sunset with a wildly-colored sky was my reward for waiting out the sunset on this otherwise, hazy/foggy evening on the Oregon Coast near the Pistol River. Just as the light was fading and nearly gone, the fog cleared up just enough for me to wade out into the surf with a heavy tripod to get this shot.
    Oregon Sea Stacks in Fading Sunset
  • Early morning and the sun is burning through the fog over the salt marshes of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in North Florida.
    Stillness and the Salt Marsh
  • A lone palm stands of a gorgeous deserted beach on Florida's St. Joseph Peninsula on the northern Gulf Coast.
    Cabbage Palm on St. Joseph Peninsula
  • A spectacular sunset at Washington's Ruby Beach. These wild formations in the sand are what remains when Cedar Creek empties directly onto the beach, and the freshwater runoff washes the softer sand and silt into the surf creating these amazing miniature canyons and washes. Next low tide, a whole new micro-landscape will be created.
    Low Tide on Ruby Beach
  • The last light fades over Rosario Strait and her scatttered islands. Photographed from an exposed cliff on Fidalgo Island, in Anacortes, Washington.
    Anacortes Landscape-3
  • Late golden hour light spills across the serpentine cliffs strewn with wildflowers on a gorgeous early evening on Washington's Fidalgo Island.
    Brooding Skies over Fidalgo Island
  • An insanely vibrant and colorful sky Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. About 35 miles due west in this direction is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
    Anacortes Landscape-6
  • One of the many intensely beautiful coastal locations of the Pacific Northwest, the waters around the San Juan and Orcas Islands look like nowhere else in North America.  This view overlooks Rosario Strait from Washington's Fidalgo Island.
    Anacortes Landscape-14.jpg
  • An insanely vibrant and colorful sky Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. About 35 miles due west in this direction is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
    Anacortes Landscape-4
  • One of the many intensely beautiful coastal locations of the Pacific Northwest, the waters around the San Juan and Orcas Islands look like nowhere else in North America.  This view overlooks Rosario Strait from Washington's Fidalgo Island.
    Anacortes Landscape-13.jpg
  • Late golden hour light spills across the serpentine cliffs strewn with wildflowers on a gorgeous early evening on Washington's Fidalgo Island.
    Anacortes Landscape-10
  • The last light fades over Rosario Strait and her scatttered islands. Photographed from an exposed cliff on Fidalgo Island, in Anacortes, Washington.
    Anacortes Landscape-1
  • An insanely vibrant and colorful sky over Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This view shows Blakely Island to the left and Cypress Island to the right. Photographed from Fidalgo Island in Anacortes.
    Anacortes Landscape-7
  • The last light fades over Rosario Strait and her scatttered islands. Photographed from an exposed cliff on Fidalgo Island, in Anacortes, Washington.
    Anacortes Landscape-2
  • An insanely vibrant and colorful sky Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. About 35 miles due west in this direction is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
    Anacortes Landscape-5
  • Golden late afternoon light and a beautiifully vibrant colorful sky over Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This view shows Blakely Island to the left and Cypress Island to the right. Photographed from Fidalgo Island in Anacortes.
    Anacortes Landscape-8
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • Haystack Rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks  and is a must-see on one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Cannon Beach
  • An insanely vibrant and colorful sky over Rosario Strait as the sun sets behind Washington's  Decateur and Lopez Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This view shows Blakely Island to the left and Cypress Island to the right. Photographed from Fidalgo Island in Anacortes.
    Anacortes Landscape-15.jpg
  • Late golden hour light spills across the serpentine cliffs strewn with wildflowers on a gorgeous early evening on Washington's Fidalgo Island.
    Anacortes Landscape-12.jpg
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