Storm Surf at Shore Acres

[AlanLichty]

Last Sunday I got a chance to see what the big waves look like at Shore Acres State Park on the Oregon coast. I have seen other people's images of what looked like ridiculous sized breakers pounding the rocky cliff faces but have never managed to time a visit when I could actually see them for myself.

I have thousands upon thousands of shots of waves during winter storms but none of them really convey how awesome the eastern Pacific can be with big swells. The twenty footer swells don't really look that big watching them roll in off the open water but once they get in close and amazing volume of water associated with such a swell becomes clear. Still shots give interesting views of some of the displays the water puts on as each wave breaks but still fail to show the underlying power in the scene.

My level of expertise at both shooting and editing video is rank amateur so I apologize in advance for my clumsy effort here as a first edited video. The video benefits from being seen full screen.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Wow, that's some great wave action. I would say you have done a great job with this for a self proclaimed amateur. The panning which seems to be by hand is very smooth compared to my jerky efforts.

 

[AlanLichty]

Wow, that's some great wave action. I would say you have done a great job with this for a self proclaimed amateur. The panning which seems to be by hand is very smooth compared to my jerky efforts.

Thanks Ben - when I tried doing similar things at Cape Perpetua back in November I discovered that my DSLR was pretty clumsy for handheld video work and my iPhone was much easier for getting workable results. This was entirely handheld and I was getting buffeted by the wind constantly so I was a bit surprised at how well the iPhone 13 Pro's image stabilization worked to smooth out the results.

 

[JimFox]

I didn't realize you hand held this. Awesome work no matter what, it's really cool seeing the power of the waves which I think the video captures really well.

So the iphone 13 has image stablization? I don't recall hearing that before, or if I did I had forgotten. What is it's level of stabilization? Is it for photos also?

 

[AlanLichty]

I didn't realize you hand held this. Awesome work no matter what, it's really cool seeing the power of the waves which I think the video captures really well.

So the iphone 13 has image stablization? I don't recall hearing that before, or if I did I had forgotten. What is it's level of stabilization? Is it for photos also?

Thanks Jim - yes the 13 Pro has in camera image stabilization and it works for both video as well as still photos. It uses sensor-shift optical image stabilization which first appeared on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

I'm not sure how well the DJI OM-5 would have worked in the wind since I forgot to pack it before I drove down to Brookings I would have appreciated being able to hold the phone with gloves on since my fingers were almost numb from the cold wind.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

That is some wave power there. Nicely done Video. I'd think that DJI gimbal would have worked out well in those conditions.

 

[AlanLichty]

That is some wave power there. Nicely done Video. I'd think that DJI gimbal would have worked out well in those conditions.

Thanks Jameel. I would have loved to try out the gimbal but didn't figure I hadn't packed it in my lens bag until I was down in Brookings already. The one handed controls could have easily been used wearing gloves and I could have shot a lot longer.

 

[Trent Watts]

Thanks so much for the link to see this video Alan. That really is the best way to see the power of those waves. Stills, while impressive don't give the same feeling.

 

[AlanLichty]

Thanks so much for the link to see this video Alan. That really is the best way to see the power of those waves. Stills, while impressive don't give the same feeling.

Thanks Trent - I rewatched the video myself and youTube prompted me to see another video from the same area shot in 2023 that makes my video above look tame. Starting at 4 minutes into this one shows waves that would have clobbered me where I shot the video above.

 

[Trent Watts]

Thanks Trent - I rewatched the video myself and youTube prompted me to see another video from the same area shot in 2023 that makes my video above look tame. Starting at 4 minutes into this one shows waves that would have clobbered me where I shot the video above.

Sounds like telephotos are the answer!

 

[AlanLichty]

Sounds like telephotos are the answer!

Along with serious rain gear

 

[Beth]

that's a lot of ocean coming at you. very cool to see!

 

[AlanLichty]

that's a lot of ocean coming at you. very cool to see!

Thanks - I have tried to get down to that part of the coast for high surf shows for quite a number of years before this chance arrived right on a day when I was driving up the coast from Brookings so I could drop in for the view. The wind was blowing salt spray sideways so hard I decided not to even break out my DSLR and shot this on my iPhone. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had a chance. This place is about a 4 hour drive from where I live.

 

[Beth]

Thanks - I have tried to get down to that part of the coast for high surf shows for quite a number of years before this chance arrived right on a day when I was driving up the coast from Brookings so I could drop in for the view. The wind was blowing salt spray sideways so hard I decided not to even break out my DSLR and shot this on my iPhone. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had a chance. This place is about a 4 hour drive from where I live.

so probably not a safe place for a drone flight with winds like that.

 

[AlanLichty]

so probably not a safe place for a drone flight with winds like that.

This area is part of a no-fly zone that extends between the south end of Coos Bay down past Cape Arago and some more just south down past Bandon so we can't fly there anyway.

There are a lot of occasions during the winter months where flying is a good way to watch your drone turn into a projectile heading for some cliffs. Especially near Cape Perpetua and Thor's Well.

 

[Beth]

This area is part of a no-fly zone that extends between the south end of Coos Bay down past Cape Arago and some more just south down past Bandon so we can't fly there anyway.

There are a lot of occasions during the winter months where flying is a good way to watch your drone turn into a projectile heading for some cliffs. Especially near Cape Perpetua and Thor's Well.

that's good to know that they've got restrictions in the area. i've flown in high winds for work when there wasn't any other option, it can be nerve wracking.

 

[AlanLichty]

that's good to know that they've got restrictions in the area. i've flown in high winds for work when there wasn't any other option, it can be nerve wracking.

I stopped trying to fly when the winds kick up above 25-30mph. Especially in the Gorge.

 

[Beth]

I stopped trying to fly when the winds kick up above 25-30mph. Especially in the Gorge.

i flew in gusts just over 50 mph a few times. not fun.

 

[AlanLichty]

i flew in gusts just over 50 mph a few times. not fun.

I am amazed you can even control the drone with that kind of wind speed. I have flown a couple of times in the Gorge where I was watching the drone get blasted sideways by 10-15' by gusts while trying to land and only 15' AGL. That was steady 30mph with higher gusts but I had no way to measure the gusts. I decided no hand catches with those conditions and I have stopped trying to fly recreationally when things get that bad. I'm not getting paid to do that sort of flying

 

[Beth]

I am amazed you can even control the drone with that kind of wind speed. I have flown a couple of times in the Gorge where I was watching the drone get blasted sideways by 10-15' by gusts while trying to land and only 15' AGL. That was steady 30mph with higher gusts but I had no way to measure the gusts. I decided no hand catches with those conditions and I have stopped trying to fly recreationally when things get that bad. I'm not getting paid to do that sort of flying

you pretty much have to let it hover when it's gusting hard and hope you don't lose it. we had anemometer setup up wind so we had a good guess when something was coming. it also killed the battery life, esp. when we had to fly into the wind.