Anatomy Of A Wave

The science you didn’t know you wanted to know.

You may have seen some of my recent adventures Following The Photographer to Split Rock Lighthouse:

While I was shivering on shore (and blissfully happy) I spent a good amount of time watching the waves. I’ve always had favorite wave images and tried to share them with you. Breathing it all in recently, I realize why I love those certain waves. I see the full movement of the wave and that one moment The Photographer captured.

So, without getting too Geeky-freaky I will attempt to describe wave formations and use some interesting images in the process.

Wave-making 101: On Lake Superior we don’t really have tides that correspond to the moon phases (though many of us will claim we do see changes that seem to correlate to the moon). Anyway, our waves are almost entirely likely to be created by wind and pressure.

So imagine, gale-force winds start to create ripples in the water (due to the surface tension of water) which then continue to grow bigger and bigger. The waves move in the same direction as this wind. Classic laws of physics state that an object in motion tends to remain in motion and that concept can be applied here. These waves would continue forever except that there are external forces acting against them. i.e. A reef/ shoreline and opposing wind. The waves are just rolling happily through the deep, not much to look at until they reach the shoreline when all that energy is absorbed and finally dissipated. As the waves reach a reef or shoreline, their motion is forced upward as the lake becomes more shallow. This is what causes a wave to “break” or “crest” or why we see “white caps.” If you are looking for the “so-totally-awesome-dude” surf waves, we need an opposing wind acting against the wave-creating wind. As the waves roll to shore and begin to be pushed upward, wind that is pushing towards the oncoming waves, will create a longer lasting and smoother curl that really is totally rad. (Even though this same opposing wind can flatten the lake in no time, which means prime surfing usually happens within a few short hours.)

When Christian is enjoying his glass waves, they are typically quite small. But he still looks for that opposing wind, which helps create the glass sculptures we all know and love.

Now a wave Vortex is a totally different piece of science, as it occurs under the water. (Have I mentioned how much Christian and I love these?) A vortex is created by a wave cresting, and curling and trapping air within the water. This creates air pockets which look like tubes underwater and last for only a few milliseconds, if that. But man oh man, the Beauty.

Finally we can continue past that awful science stuff…. (just kidding, I get all geeked out on this and can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed this research and the lovely little rabbit hole of particle physics. Kara= Happy Camper).

While I was enjoying my frozen time of wave-watching, I noticed the rhythm and almost living movements. As a wave rolled up to the shore and turned to white-water, it felt like an inhalation and exhalation. It seemed like the most natural breath.

Let me explain better through images. As a wave would build, I sensed tension almost as if I was breathing in:

And as the wave crested and crashed, it felt like a release of breath:

Over and over this motion continued, and I found that if I slowed my breathing to match that of the waves, I felt filled with peace and calm.

Lake Superior has always been my safe place. I grew up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and my family took multiple trips every year to this fabulous lake. We spent hours sitting on the shore, hours – I think we hit 6 straight hours once – of reading peacefully by the lake. It has been a place of refuge and reset.

So sitting on the shores of Split Rock, watching the love of my life have the time of his life bouncing up and down through 6 to 10 foot waves, I realized the magic this man brings into our lives.

The reason I can’t get enough:

I sense the inhale, the conscious breath, the slight tension of preparation and hope.

I sense the stillness of this moment:

The choice to be a part of something so strong, capable, even forceful and destructive, yet now is at peace and resting.

So here’s my challenge to you – next time you look at one of his wave pictures and see an animal or a shape – take a moment to look at the whole wave and see if you can sense it’s breath.

What I love about Lake Superior, is it means something different to all of us. Maybe it means Home to those who moved far away. Maybe it is The Ultimate Vacation Spot, like it was to my family. Or maybe The Surf Spot or The Serenity Place or The Refuge from the crazy of every day life. Lake Superior is so special. And I feel so blessed and so lucky to be married to the original Lake Man, the first Superior Wave Photographer. If you listen Christian talk about the Lake, you’ll see it means something entirely different to him. To Christian, Lake Superior means Sobriety; it represents Freedom and Hope. The Lake is what brought Christian and I together. It’s where we found Home. It’s my hope that everyone reading this can feel that sense of connection. While we are all different people, leading very different lives, fulfilling our part of the universal story, we all share this one thing: The Love of Lake Superior. Not one of us is alone – We love together.

Hope you all have a fantastic week – watch out for deer!