Benz World Blog » Coast

Ningaloo Coast

Jason Benz — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 14:34:26 +0000

This is where the pristine sands of Nature Bay meet Ningaloo Reef in a remote corner of Western Australia. It is just outside the tropics so the water is as warm and welcoming as it looks, without the nasties which keep people on the beach further North. There are reef sharks here but they are easy to scare off if needed. The real danger is being caught in a rip which I discovered can pull you out to sea from a seemingly calm lagoon. Fortunately, I was rescued by a surfer called Sam Kinney.

It seems this area is dangerous for me. Last time I visited, 23 years ago I had another near-death experience when we lost our car after a short evening walk in the Cape Range National Park. We had to use the moon and stars to navigate halfway across the peninsula and rejoin the main road. At least I had the excuse of being young and stupid then. My recent experience proves I can be old and stupid too.

When snorkelling on my first visit I had never seen coral or swam with fish before. The experience forced me to redefine how intense colour could be. 18 years later I would be employed to process over 1 million images for the Global Reef Record.

Underwater photography has some unique challenges. Colour temperature changes with depth and distance. In addition, the blue shift is so extreme a cameras auto white balance will not work. The only way to colour balance underwater is by eye. Your brain does it automatically so you see a kaleidoscope of colours in the reef and fish but a camera will just see shades of blue. To create digital images with the range of colours you perceive requires heavy processing of the RAW camera file to get the colours looking right. My only reference point was this one memory of coral and fish when I was half my age. I used to half-jokingly ask my boss for a field trip to remind myself of the colours of coral.

I was interested on many levels to see Ningaloo Reef again. I started at Point Quobba were I first swam with the fishes. There were still colourful fish but the coral was in bad shape. To find some living coral required travelling an extra 100km of dirt roads to Gnaraloo. Once you get there the fringing reef is very accessible, only a few meters from the shore. I found the most impressive coral structures at Nature Bay but spent most of my time swimming in 3-mile lagoon as it was only 100 meters from the camp and a clean gas-heated bore water shower. I recommend a visit if you are in the area.

I am following the west coast up to Darwin for the start of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge on the 13th October. I will then follow the race to Adelaide.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Wineglass Bay

Jason Benz — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 05:13:45 +0000

This is Wineglass Bay on Tasmania’s South East coast. This view is from the top of Mount Amos. It provided the best perspective and most challenging bushwalk. You even have to sign a safety sheet in case you do not make it back.

I had been waiting for good weather and low tide to coincide for a couple of weeks. Finally, I decided to risk it with a wet morning which had a forecast for a mostly clear afternoon. There are many warning signs advising you not to attempt it in the wet as it is essentially a climb. Imagine steep slabs of rock covered with rivulets and very little to hold on to.

I was reminded of my first off-piste skiing attempt when I discovered, regardless of posture, every mountain surface has an angle which, if you lose your grip, accelerates you towards a cliff.

After covering myself with cuts and scrapes I finally reached the top with a couple of English lads who shared their bananas with me while we waited for the mist to clear. After an hour of sitting in the clouds, they started back down. I told them if it gets better they can pull my image from this blog. email benzworldblog@gmail.com if you would like high res.

I am going into Hobart this evening to get some night shots of the city for my Australian Skylines Collection.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Australia’s Twin

Jason Benz — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 21:34:29 +0000

These are some of the limestone cliffs in Victoria, Australia. Over 7200 km (4500 miles) out to sea is another set of cliffs which mirror this coastline. They belong to Australia’s twin. 80,000,000 years ago these cliff’s were connected to the land which now lies under the ice in Antarctica. Back then the earth was a lot hotter but it had started to enter an ice age as Australia moved towards the equator. The result was temperatures in Australia were stable for a very long time when the rest of the world’s wildlife was suffering from climate change.

Today Australia is in the opposite position. The continent is still moving north which is magnifying the effect of global warming.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Island Life

Jason Benz — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 08:48:00 +0000

This beach is the shortest route to the bar when you arrive by ferry on Keppel Island in Queensland, Australia. This place reminded me of Jamaica and Cuba. People who live in remote islands seem to approach life differently to city dwellers. There is a slower pace in tune with nature which is more like surfing than a busy driven urban lifestyle.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

The Grotto

Jason Benz — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 09:50:34 +0000

This is the Grotto which can be found on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.

Ian’s Boat

Jason Benz — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 23:03:09 +0000

This is one of the Keppel Islands. I don’t remember which one as Ian was good enough to take us to a few islands in his boat on 1st Jan 2016. This is one of those rare occasions when I wish my camera had GPS. It is fondly remembered as the best New Years Day ever.

Long Beach

Jason Benz — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 10:03:18 +0000

This in Long Beach on Great Keppel which is an island 15km off the coast of Queensland in Australia.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is be available for download here.

Shark Christmas

Jason Benz — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 08:25:40 +0000

This shot was taken at Clam Bay on the far side of Keppel Island. We trekked for 2.5hrs to get there and hoped to find at least one boat with some other snorkellers to share the reef with. Alas we found ourselves alone. After exploring the coral for about an hour we walked down the beach only to discover we had been sharing the water with six sharks. We suspect they were one of Jaws’ less bitey cousins judging by their proximity to the shore.

Keppel Return

Jason Benz — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 07:26:22 +0000

This is Great Keppel Island in Queensland off the coast of mainland Australia. If you are reading this I have posted it using solar powered pre-iPhone technology, a Nokia N-95. This is the first place Karen and I have re-visited in more than a decade of travel. It has everything you would expect from an exclusive resort without any of the cost.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

The Broadwater

Jason Benz — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 10:50:18 +0000

This is the Southport Broadwater on the Gold Coast. It is a shallow estuary of water fed by several rivers including the Nerang and Pimpama. The area is one of the fastest growing regions in the developed world and contains 90% of Australia’s canal estates. After local protests, plans for a cruise ship terminal were rejected by the Queensland Government in 2015. However this issue keeps returning around each election. Sand banks which have built up due to lack of dredging are now being used by endangered migratory birds. Plans to name them, effectively turning them into islands should give them greater protection from developers.