Inverted Reflection on a Breaking Wave
February 26, 2010
Photographer: David Hubbard
Summary Author: David Hubbard
This photo of a breaking wave along a southern California beach shows the inverted reflection of the shoreline. Look closely and you'll see that the reflection includes the pale blue of the sky, the deep green of trees along a bluff, the tan colors of the sandy beach and the blue-gray of shallow water. The clarity or reflection depends on the wave’s roughness. This wave is just steep enough and smooth enough to reflect shore and near shore features. Of course, when you’re watching the waves at the beach it’s much more difficult to observe these reflections. Photo taken in early February 2010 from Goleta, California.