Why The Coconut Palm Points to the Sea
The coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) does something that very few trees do. It leans into wind. Most trees have trunks that will bend away…
Tag: sea
The Glitter Path
A ‘glitter path’ is light reflected off water from a low sun, moon or other bright object. Glitter paths help us to read water because…
How to Read Water
Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea A New York Times Bestseller. A Sunday Times “Must Read” book. A must-have book for walkers, sailors,…
The Sorting by Sea Currents
Sea currents sort objects according to size, shape and weight. There is a documented case of left Wellington boots from a lost container washing up…
The Beach ‘Step’
The ‘step’ is the line where the beach gradient steepens and the water suddenly gets a bit deeper. It is marked by a line of…
How to Read Water – New Animation!
Here is the first of a short series of animations that I will be publishing over the coming weeks. Hope you enjoy!
Reflections and Ripples
We see the most detail in relatively calm water when we look at the places where light and dark reflections meet. Look at the line…
The Effect of Wind on Breaking Waves
The way waves behave is a big subject. But here we’ll look at just one simple aspect, the way the wind shapes breaking waves at…
The Supermoon and Tides
Tides are at the greatest range near a full or new moon and these are called ‘spring tides’. This is when the sun and moon’s…
How to Read Wave Patterns at the Coast
I took this photo from the South West Coast Path in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, a few days ago. In it we can see…
What is a Slick Line?
Slick lines form on water when a very thin layer of oil spreads out across the water. The oil dampens ripples creating calmer patches. Over…
What is swash?
Swash is the name given to the waves that rush up the beach after a wave has broken. They are intriguing little waves that inhabit…
The Nature Instinct
The Nature Instinct has been published in the US! “A captivating guide to finding one’s way in the wild.” —The Wall Street Journal “An imperative…
A Brief Guide to Overfalls
Whenever the tide turns, water heads from one area to another. This sets up a flow known as tidal currents. Tidal currents moving over a…
Stick Charts at the Royal Academy
Last night I was invited by the very nice people at Tourism New Zealand to the opening of Oceania, a wonderful exhibition at the Royal…
The Colour of Water
The colour of water is determined by: A) What’s under it. B) What’s in it. C) What’s on it. D) And by light levels and…
Brendan the Navigator
Writing the sorts of books I do is hard work, at times dauntingly so. But emails like this make me want to charge out there…
Beach Stripes
Can you work out the cause of the beach stripes in the picture above? There are 6 stages. ———— Answer: 1. As waves break, water…
How to Spot a Dangerous Sandbank or Reef
How to spot a dangerous sandbank or reef: Note the change in colour and the breaking waves. At night only the sound of the breakers…
What is Fetch?
The definition of the word ‘fetch’ is simple: The distance that wind travels over open water. But why do we need to know that? Spend…
Shark Teeth and Currents
A sample of fossil sharks’ teeth collected on Casey Key and Venice beach, Florida, by Mark Evans. — I have written about the way sea…