Waves, Bass Strait, Victoria Australia

(Click image to enlarge)

This photograph was captured from shore on a beautiful sunny day. A 200mm lens set at F/11 was used. The relatively small aperture maximizes depth of field, but a large distance between the camera and the nearest part of the scene plays an equally important role. It is often forgotten that depth of field increases with distance. This is an important fact to keep in mind when landscapes containing movement are photographed with telephoto lenses. Focus stacking cannot work in these situations, and no aperture is small enough to produce adequate depth of field at short distances.

These waves are normal for this part of the Victoria's coast. The view in this direction contains only water and the horizon, with clear sky above. The dark area above the top edge of the large wave is caused by mist rising from the wave's crest and casting a shadow on more distant mist as it moves toward the shore. Large waves, rip currents, and beaches made entirely sharp and jagged volcanic rock make this photo location a terrible place for swimming in any weather.

Twelve to fourteen thousand years ago, Victoria and Tasmania were connected by a land bridge. As the last ice age ended, sea levels rose significantly, fooding the land bridge. The Bass Strait is a section of shallow water that now exists above the former land bridge.

A deadly combination of shallow depths that average only 60 meters (197 feet), fierce tidal currents from two oceans, and highly unpredictable violent weather make this one of the world's most treacherous stretches of water. Massive swells commonly reach 11-12 meters (36-39 feet) in height. They are generated by winds traveling unimpeded across thousands of kilometers. Rogue waves, that form when several of these swells combine, have been measured at 20 meters (66 feet) high. The Bass Strait has claimed hundreds of ships and many lives.