Mavericks Competition: Why Surf Spot Has Monster Waves

Right now, the world’s best surfers are riding the monster waves at Titans of Mavericks, an elite surf competition that pits big-wave riders against the monster swells at a Northern California Beach. Waves this year were slated to reach 50 feet (15 meters) tall, with winds of 46 to 75 mph (40 to 65 knots). But just why do the waves get so big at this particular time and spot?

Ocean trash becomes photographer’s artistic statement

Photographer Barry Rosenthal has found a unique way to tell the story of the damage humans are doing to the Earth’s oceans — by collecting thousands of pieces of trash scooped from the coastal areas of New York harbor and arranging them into intriguing works of fine art for his”Found in Nature” series.

Sand artist on Carmel Beach creates beauty with nature

San Francisco-based earthscape artist Andres Amador creates stunning works of art on stretches of California beaches. His most recent canvass was Carmel Beach. Amador said sketching art that will only last during low tide before being erased by waves is an act of meditation for existing in the moment and being at peace.

A Marine Ecologist Strives to Protect the Seas

Only 1 percent of the ocean is currently protected, marine scientists say, and the rest is being disrupted by overfishing, pollution, climate change and species extinctions. Dr. Sala said he felt the need to take action.

Sand Man – The Sand Art of Peter

As the morning tide recedes at a beach near Christchurch, New Zealand, a man dressed in black arrives to go to work. After stretching and repeating his mantra, the man, Peter Donnelly, gets ready to “paint.” In the sand…

Walking in Rachel Carson’s Footsteps

Rachel Carson is best known by most people for her fourth and most-famous book Silent Spring, which many credit as the spark that ignited the modern-day environmental movement. But long before, Carson had published a series of books about the sea, and the genius of her writing was the ability to weave together enchanting literary prose with cutting edge marine biology of the day. This was new.