Light Show on Sandstone (click to enlarge)
When conditions are just right, you can see a beautiful natural light show along parts of Valdes Island‘s eroded western shoreline.
At those magical times, sunlight hits the wavelets and is reflected back up on varying angles, bouncing into the salt-eroded sandstone caverns that lie just overhead. The result is a constantly changing filigree of light, dancing along the walls and roof of each of the caves.
To see the light show you’ll need to be in a boat on a sunny day, with calm conditions and a slight breeze – enough to ripple the water but not to cause waves. A mid-range to moderately high tide usually works, but time of year, the sun’s position and myriad other complicating factors make any attempt at reliable prediction a mug’s game.
So in the end it probably comes mostly down to luck. If you happen to catch the light show, I’m sure that you’ll find this pure light to be pure delight. No 3D glasses or psychedelics required – just a lucky break from Mother Nature.
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Thank you for sharing such a wonderful bit of the world.
Thanks so much, Charlie!
Oh, I would love to experience that.
Thanks Kim – it’s lovely to see, for sure. I expect you might get a similar phenomenon along some lake shore areas, if you have caves close to the water’s edge.
Good one Laurie! Any image of summer is welcome at the moment. The light in those caverns is always incredible, catching it a worthy challenge. Then there are the ice age souvenirs, those oddly placed granite boulders!
Fred
Thanks, Fred. I agree, any extra light we can get right now is welcome. This photo was actually shot in early autumn, Oct. 1 to be exact – but I agree, it looks summery.