RARE & ASTONISHING WAVES: DAVE SANDFORD
You might think these massive magnificent waves are from the ocean -- but they’re not! These awesome exhibitions of power and beauty are from a Great Lake -- Lake Erie. With the scale and force of ocean waves, over 25 feet high, these lake waves occur only during late autumn, during severe weather known as “The Gales of November”… and photographer Dave Sandford is the only one who has captured their wonder and glory.
Sandford’s “Liquid Mountains” series shows a range of these rare wonderful waves, frozen in time at their peak moments. They are astonishing images that the naked human eye could never see in real time -- partially because they are in constant motion, constantly changing shape, peaking at split seconds, and partially because they occur during hurricane force winds and extreme storm conditions, only a few days out of every year.
“It is said that Lake Erie has many faces,” Sandford recounts. “While this is true for how quickly the lake changes moods, I believe it to be true of the spirits of the lake, which seem to so often reveal themselves in the waves.” This reveals one source of his passion.
Sandford worked as a professional sports photographer for 20 years before he transferred his skills to the art of capturing waves. Hailing from London, Ontario, Canada, he grew up right in the heart of the Great Lakes region. Just over four years ago, he obtained special protective Aquatech photo gear that would enable him to shoot the lakes in extreme conditions.
Just 40 kilometers south of his home, just off the shores of the village of Port Stanley, Ontario, the perfect spot for the perfect storm beckoned. There, in the shallow waters of the lake, the wind is able to whip up a frenzy, especially dramatically when the warm air from the south collides with the cold arctic air blowing in from the North in mid-November. The winds reach Category 1 Hurricane strength, at speeds upwards of 70 miles per hour, turning this lake into a raging inland sea. Temperatures plummet well below the freezing mark.
With storm surges, flooding, and other dangers, all human activity on the lake stops, including the largest fresh water fishing industry in the world based here. But it doesn’t stop Sandford. It does the opposite. It gets him going.
“This is a shallow lake that has deep emotion and for myself, it has become my most favorite time of the year,” Sandford says. “Erie’s incredible display of power gives me the opportunity to transform the miserable, to the marvelous.”
With a combination of bravery and talent, Sandford captures the best moments, as crazy waves form and break in the blink of an eye. “It isn’t until you slow them down or freeze them for a moment in time, that you can truly appreciate the marvel of motion in the water,” he tells us.
Some would say Sandford is crazy himself to even attempt this mission. The lake has claimed many lives, including numerous shipwrecks, dating back to the 17th century.
With water temperatures just above freezing point and air temperature not much higher, the conditions are not easy. “Sand rips through the air like a giant-sized sand blaster pointed right at me. Waves come from any direction and without warning,” Sandford reports.
Despite this, Sandford is driven by his passion and is able to remain remarkably calm and in control. “This lake is alive,” Sandford says. “There is an energy about it that I find I connect with. While it may sound strange to others, I truly feel as if I have a connection with water, but especially with Lake Erie. Even when she is at her worst, I find myself calm and in tune with her.”
“I can best describe the scene like a giant washing machine. There is no pattern to the waves: they move and explode in unpredictable ways, often colliding into one another and creating spectacular explosions of water.”
On the days of his wave shoots, Sandford leaves home at 4:30 AM, returning 8-10 hours later. He is exposed to the elements all day long. But mind over matter is a major component in dealing with it all -- not to mention, killer talent.
Sandford’s Liquid Waves photos have won numerous awards and accolades, including Magnum Photography Awards.
After the success of his Lake Erie waves photos, Sandford venture out halfway around the world to capture incredible surf breaks off the southeast coast of Australia. He also expanded his efforts to underwater photography beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, cage diving to shoot Great White sharks. He then served as photographer in residence for photographic expeditions to both the Arctic and Antarctic.
Sanford calls his run in the Lake Erie Liquid Mountain Series the “‘Wave’ Of My Life.” Keep riding those waves, Dave! We can’t wait to see what rolls in next!
See more amazing wave stories: Beautiful Breaking Waves: Clark Little, The Art & Glory of Ocean Waves Now, and Waves Are Found to Move the Whole Planet. And for even more beautiful wave stories, just type “waves” in the search bar on BeautifulNow.
Read more about Wonderful Waves in 10 Most Beautiful Big Wave Trips, Wonderful Waves of Inspiration, The Wonderful Impact of Waves, These Waves are Wow!: Lloyd Meudell, Beautiful Waves Everywhere and Beautiful New Waves of Culinary Art.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Orange Dawn.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. Untitled.
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Lady of the Lake.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford.
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “The Gales of November.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “The Sandstorm.”
- Photo: by Dave Hinton. “Photographer, Dave Sandford stands in the water to capture waves on Lake Erie.” Courtesy of Dave Sandford.
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Lake Erie Monster.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Lake of the Cat.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Bane of the Great Lakes.”
- Photo: by Dave Sandford. “Red Peak.”
- Image: by Dave Sandford. “Green Thunder.”