I have travelled extensively across Australia and would have to say that Western Australia undoubtedly boasts the best beaches in the country. It's a huge state though, so if you want to see the absolute best of the best then head directly to Esperance, or more specifically Cape Le Grand National Park. With crystal clear turquoise waters, white sand beaches and stunning granite headlands you won't be disappointed!

Lucky Bay is the most famous beach in Cape Le Grand, partly for it's undeniable beauty and partly because you will often find kangaroos lazing around on the sand! Just around the headland from Lucky Bay is a much smaller bay called Thistle Cove. It may be smaller but in my opinion is even more beautiful than Lucky Bay. In fact it's now my favourite beach in Australia and i've seen far more than most!

I had seen countless photos of Lucky Bay over the years so Esperance was high on my hit list for quite some time. Finally in late 2019, I was blessed to be able to find some time to spend 4 days in the region with good friend and talented photographer Russ McLean from New Zealand. We hired a 4WD, made the 7 hour drive from Perth and spent every day exploring the incredible beaches and sand dunes in the area.

Half way through our stay, the weather and conditions were looking perfect for a midday shoot down at Cape Le Grand. We made the journey to Thistle Cove and I started exploring different compositions. It was a warm day however it was still early Spring so the water temperature was a cool 16c. After some careful contemplation I decided to get the board shorts on, leave my camera on the beach and dive in for a swim. It was invigorating to say the least but what an amazing experience, the water was so incredibly clean and refreshing!

After my swim, I headed back to the sand, grabbed my camera and waded back out again. It was time to experiment with some unique compositions from the water. I normally shoot long exposures on a tripod so it was unusual for me to be shooting hand held, at times waist deep in the cool sea water. I held my camera down low as each wave passed using a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the waves as they broke. Immediately after shooting each frame I had to raise the camera high over my head to avoid drowning it in salt water. It was a risky exercise but eventually I figured out the timing for the effect I was after and captured this stunning moment just as one of the smaller waves in the set began to break. What a truly incredible, memorable experience!