The Manhattan Sea Wall

There isn’t really a Manhattan Sea Wall.  Usually.  But with the recent surf eroding all the sand, there is a stretch of the bike path where there is basically no sand on a higher tide and the waves break right onto the rocks.  So when you get some bigger surf with a high tide, you can see some pretty big waves explode onto the rocks and send a plume of whitewater onto the bike path.  Right now, there is a sea wall just north of 45th St.

I thought, “Hey, isn’t that cool? Maybe I should shoot it.“  Well, I only had my wide angle lens so without getting really close, the big splashes of whitewater didn’t really look as good in the pictures so I had to get closer.  So, I got a little closer – maybe a little too close.  Luckily, I didn’t get the camera wet, but I did pay the price by shielding it with my body.  My jacket was waterproof.  My sweatpants were not.

I got a major adrenaline rush waiting for the big waves to break on the rocks.  The thunderous crash of the wave against the rock sounds so close that it just sounds like you’re about to get swallowed up by this thing.  I think I’m going to come back tomorrow with a slightly longer lens.

Here are the images.  First a sequence from a safer vantage point.  Then a few from a not-so-safe one.  And finally, a self portrait after getting splashed.

Splash Sequence

Big Splash, Up Close and Personal

Foamy Bike Path

Pieces of rock broken off by waves

What happens when you get too close