Fastnet

The sea, all things lead to the sea.
As a small island, it encompases us and in some way I feel has helped mold us.
It has certainly had a profound effect on me.
For a long time, most of the decisions I made in my life revolved around my
relationship to the sea and its ever moods.
I was most at peace, floating on the sea with nothing but the
birds watching over me. There is a great sense of peace to be found in the
isolation of being completely alone and at mercy of the sea.
One constant for me, has been a deep fascination with the shapes of water.
The fleeting moments as light bounces of something that is never
fixed or permanent.
The lines and textures it creates.
It was my driving force to start photography, its why I first
chanced swimming in the ocean with a camera.
For the longest time, I felt so lucky to see the shapes of water move and dance
and I wanted to be able to share these moments with others.
All of these images were created on the morning of the 9th of July 23.
I had been on Cape Clear a few weeks previously and I remarked to a
friend that I had never been to the Fastnet.
He said he had a cousin with a rib who was always up for a trip, so a plan was hatched.
We had wanted to time it so we would catch the sun rising over Cape Clear,
which ment we set off for just before 3am under a blanket of stars.
The flickering of the lighthouse across the oil slick like calm water is something I
will never forget as we waited for the pre-dawn light.
I was amazed at how much water moved around the lighthouse and how much
life was out there, countless birds, a few pods of dolphins and no end of jellyfish.
Of all the sunrises I have been lucky enough to experience this ranks as one of my favourites.
I hope you enjoy.