“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch we are going back from whence we came.” – John F Kennedy
This morning I am writing from Shelter in Lennox Head, a favourite hangout of mine because I am looking straight at the sea without the hustle and bustle of Byron Bay during summer pushing my anxiety levels through the roof.
Most of the earth’s surface is covered by water. Mother ocean is the hideout for billions of life forms that we will never fully comprehend. Most of the sea is a mystery. We cruise on her surface in boats, sit on beaches and headlands and watch how she meets the land. One of my favourite things about the ocean is that it cannot be built on. Thankfully it will remain a vast open space perfect for contemplation of life, love and everything in between.
It is 9:02am, this time yesterday I was out on the sea that I’m looking at now. I arrived at the dock on the Ballina River at 7:45am, and after a safety briefing, we were off. Skipper and owner of Out of the Blue Adventures, Dean Fox, is a master at navigating his way through the Ballina bar. Gabrielle is the onboard Marine Biologist and historian, she explains the history of the landscapes and also describes in detail the creatures that we see and their behaviours. Yesterday we were lucky enough to see a Logger Head Turtle, a Leopard Shark that surfaced right near us just off Main Beach in Byron, Dolphins were everywhere for the whole trip, and we came across a full-blown feeding frenzy of seabirds and dolphins just off Broken Head.
I have been under the Cape only once before, and I have never witnessed the breathtaking beauty of the headlands from Ballina all the way through Lennox Head, Broken Head and the Cape that I so often photograph, from this perspective. It was like meditation. The photos that I shot yesterday tell the story. The story of a region so diverse with its rugged, beautiful headlands and wildlife that a friend who saw some of my photos stated “WTF!! Planet Earth documentaries haven’t got as much wildlife in them”.
There is something about just being out at sea taking in the beauty of the landscape from a different perspective. It is like taking a step back and viewing your world from afar. When you get back to shore something in you has changed. It is difficult to describe…….make sure you take the time to feel it.
Thanks to Out of The Blue Adventures. They operate all year round and have a number of different tours on offer.
Out of The Blue Adventures
www.outoftheblueadventures.com
https://www.facebook.com/outoftheblueadventures
Instagram – @bluebyronbay
Phone – 0407 522 422
