Bass Strait and Apollo Bay lit up by a near-full moon.
Golden light from a waning gibbous moon, 97% full, over Apollo Bay and Bass Strait.
Moonset over Apollo Bay
The moon about to set behind a ridgeline just west of Apollo Bay. I have said many times that serendipity fuels my photography. These moon shots were taken from the nature strip in front of my house. I was heading out with the camera to photograph some waves, when I looked right and saw this sight above the end of my street. Low cloud scudding across the ridge thwarted my attempt to get a clear shot of the moon half set behind the visible horizon.
Waves backlit by the early morning sun
Translucent ribbon of shorebreak backlit by the rising sun. This is just one of the beautiful features of a dawn swim in the surf. Walking towards breaking waves and seeing one rear and fleetingly glow with this aqua and white light show always makes me glad I got up early for a swim. Shorebreak near Little Henty Reef with a light offshore wind.
Henty Reef
This nautical chart shows the location of Henty Reef, 3kms ESE from Hayley Point at Marengo. Apollo Bay township is immediately north -west of the purple circle. Surf breaking over Henty Reef. If there are breaking waves on this bombie, then even if good swell isn’t breaking at the local beaches, it’s not too far off doing so. I took this photo from 5kms away on the beach at Apollo Bay where I had a clear line of sight past Point Bunbury to Henty Reef. A wave of significance, especially if you were fishing peacefully from a small boat over the reef when this wave appeared.
Australasian Gannet
Long wings such as these enable the gannet to soar with ease. Avian elegance. Focussing on the shorebreak below as it soars along the edge of the ocean in the late afternoon looking for fish. The general profile of this bird reminds me of the Concorde. Soaring in fish-search mode.Soaring effortlessly.
The Australasian gannet is a favourite bird of mine. For further photos of this wonderful bird see these earlier posts on this blog:
Thanks Michael. Good to hear that you too are a fan of the Australasian gannet. These birds are abundant around the coastline of the southern half of the continent of Australia (particularly the south east), yet many Australians are not familiar with them.
South 
Great read and a spectacular set of photos, especially those of one of my favourite birds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Michael. Good to hear that you too are a fan of the Australasian gannet. These birds are abundant around the coastline of the southern half of the continent of Australia (particularly the south east), yet many Australians are not familiar with them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes I got to see them way back in 1992/93 when I spent 9 months living in Australia.
LikeLiked by 1 person