Break, break, break,
On thy cold grey stones, O Sea!
Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Break, Break, Break
Perhaps because Britain is a relatively small island, many of us are drawn to the sea. After all, we nearly all live within a few hours drive of the coast. We grew up with seaside holidays, day trips to the beach. We are known as a ‘nation of seafarers’, based on those days when ‘Britannia ruled the waves’.
The sea draws us in many ways. Of course there is the fun of being ‘beside the seaside, beside the sea’, as a popular British music hall song once put it. But there is much more to it than that. There is something primeval about the sea and its constancy. Its vastness, its constantly changing colours and movements. It is at the same time very familiar and yet totally mysterious. Even though scientists have been able to fully map the surface of the moon, they still haven’t been able to do the same for the ocean floor. More than eighty percent of it remains unknown.
It is also a place of myths and legends. Many cultures tell of strange creatures that live in the sea: mermaids, selkies, the kraken. But even if we dismiss these as myths, it is almost certain that there are forms of life still waiting to be discovered there.
For this week’s Monochrome Madness I’d like us to share photos of the sea. And I mean of the sea itself, with an emphasis on the waves, the patterns in the water, the ever-changing light. I’m happy for you to include other features of course: rocks, cliffs, beaches perhaps. But the main subject of your image should be watery!
I’d love to see what you come up with for this challenge! Do please remember to tag your post Monochrome Madness so it is easy to find in the reader. And check out Leanne’s Monochrome Madness page to learn more about this fun challenge. Maybe you’d like to host a theme from time to time? If so, do contact Leanne via her page.
All my images were shot originally in colour and converted using Nik Silver Efex Pro. My feature image is of waves off the coast in Hanga Roa, the only town on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

Broadstairs Beach, Kent, England

Druridge Bay, Northumberland, north east England

Praia do Faro, Portugal

Sal, Cape Verde

Sal, Cape Verde

Ngala Beach, Gambia

Ngala Beach, Gambia

Baobab Beach, Madagascar

Fort Ross State Park, California

Laguna Point, California

Point Arena Overlook, California

Near Point Arena Lighthouse, California

Guiones Beach, Colombia

Cañaveral Beach, Tayrona NP, Colombia

Cañaveral Beach, Tayrona NP, Colombia
44 Comments
Annie Berger
Love your Gambia shot. Although I grew up far from the sea in Ottawa and have since lived in landlocked Colorado, the vastness of the sea has always drawn me close. I attribute it to my seafaring maternal grandfather who was a captain for the P&O and spent his life sailing the seas.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 🙂 I guess a love of the sea must be in your genes!
Dawn M. Miller
A wonderful assortment of The Sea images. My favorite is Ngala Beach, Gambia.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Dawn 🙂 Ngala is quite a special spot, a haven in the sometimes mad bustle of Gambia!
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Anonymous
You have capture the many moods of the sea. Not only has most of the sea not been mapped, but coastlines are constantly changing. My son’s job for many years (with NOAA) was remapping those coastlines around the States to assist ships and fisherpeople.
Sarah Wilkie
Aha, maybe this is Ruth? I hadn’t realised a ‘pending’ comment was lurking here when I read you comment on my Grant Grove post – sorry! You’re absolutely right about shifting coastlines, we see it a lot here in the UK.
rkrontheroad
Yes, that’s me – thanks!
angloswiss
I am still trying to get the hang of this site. We have no sea in Switzerland, no coastline, just rivers and lakes.
https://angloswiss-chronicles.com/2025/02/06/monochrome-madness-river-aare/
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks for having a go! You’re always welcome to skip a challenge if you don’t have and can’t easily take any appropriate photos, but on other hand it was nice to see your pretty river 🙂
Alison
Yes me too. It takes far too long to track them down and you’re right they are formatted differently for different posts.
Alison
https://travelswithali.com/2025/02/06/ocean-views-in-black-and-white/
Out of interest, if you post photos that you’ve already used before, do you add them again or go back through your media library on wordpress and use the same one.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks for joining in, I’ll take a look soon!
I usually add them again! It uses up additional space, I know, but it can be hard tracking down the previous upload and also I often want to format them differently, e.g. with or without a frame.
Alison
I love the Californian ones, either you used a zoom lens or were very brave!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Alison 🙂 Oh yes, of course I used a zoom for those shots, otherwise I and the camera would have got rather wet!
Leanne Cole
Great photos for the challenge Sarah, you have a really good variety too.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leanne, and thanks for your contribution too 🙂
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Rose
Your choice of images for these challenges are so creative. I particularly like the soft flow of the Baobab Beach, Madagascar.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Rose 🤗 That beach in Madagascar was so beautiful. I normally like to photograph more lively seas but the light there was lovely and the calmness of the water suited the mood it crfeated.
Anonymous
Incredible captures! Monochrome perfectly enhances the mood in them.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, so glad you liked them 😊
Rebecca
Being from Los Angeles, I grew up close to the ocean and while I didn’t appreciate the waters much growing up, I have a stronger appreciation for it now that I’m older. The ocean is vast, beautiful, and at times terrifying, but fascinating all the same! Thanks for sharing, Sarah 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rebecca 🙂 It’s interesting that you didn’t appreciate the ocean so much as a child. I think I’ve always been drawn to it – the best part of those childhood seaside holidays was the sea itself!
Jane Lurie
Oh yes, Sarah! Fabulous in monochrome and you have great timing and sense of composition. You got some great California wave action, too. Woman after my own heart!🙂👏🏻🌊🌊🌊
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thanks so much Jane 😊 Opinion seems to be divided on whether the sea ‘works’ in monochrome but I know from your many excellent images of it that it can definitely do so! And I was chuffed at your final comment 🤗
Heyjude
As I mentioned to Margaret I struggle to see the sea in black and white (as Phil does) but both she and you have shown it is possible. I shall have to hunt through my numerous photos and see what I can find that might be suitable. I do like the crashing waves!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh yes, do see what you can find Jude! If I can convert you to seeing the beauty of the sea in black and white I’ll be happy 🙂 However, Phil is, I suspect, a lost cause!
Heyjude
Well I have had a go, though my pingback doesn’t appear to have landed (unless you need to approve them) I am quite happy with the conversions, surprisingly, though I do like to see that tinge of green in the winter waves.
https://cornwallincolours.blog/2025/02/07/monochrome-madness-seeing-the-sea-in-black-and-white/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jude, I’m off to check that out now 🙂 Unfortunately pingbacks don’t always work on my site and I’ve never been able to find out why or resolve it (I tried a while back when I was hosting the Friendly Friday challenge).
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Of all the landscape photograph possibilities, the sea best reflects our changing moods – reflective, melancholy, joy, anger…beautiful selection.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s so true Suzanne, thank you 😊
Anne Sandler
I can’t imagine not living at least a few hours away from the ocean. I don’t necessarily like to swim in the ocean (sand and salt water), but there is something calming about watching the waves come in and hit the rocky shore. Each wave makes it’s own distinct pattern and splash. I totally enjoyed seeing your images in monochrome.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂 I used to love swimming in the sea as a child and can still be tempted in if somewhere hot and the sea not too rough, but I’m not a fan of the salt water getting in my eyes! Glad you enjoyed the monochrome treatment.
thehungrytravellers.blog
You just cannot beat being near the sea…there’s always good air to breathe. I do think though (go on, call me philistine again), that sea photographs in monochrome are like flower photos in b/w. As in, something is lost. Of course I can see the moods and the drama, but…….ah, philistine me. Far too bloody grounded 😂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Phil – and yes, being by the sea is wonderful! I take your point about the sea in monochrome (and flowers) and I don’t think such images should aim to replace colour ones, but they offer us a different perspective and bring out different aspects of the subject – form, texture etc. Still, it’s just a personal opinion and you can disagree without being a philistine! Have I ever called you one? I’m sure I wouldn’t 😀
Egídio
Such beautiful and powerful images! I especially liked the close-up wave shots. I went back home for my post. Growing up by the sea marks my life.
https://throughbrazilianeyes.com/last-surf/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio 🙂 In the last few years I’ve had a bit of a thing about trying to capture waves in close-up. Thanks too for joining in – I’m off to check your contribution soon!
Egídio
Thanks for the great theme and feedback.
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margaret21
Fabulous drama and atmosphere here Sarah. Here’s mine: https://margaret21.com/2025/02/05/the-sea-the-sea-2/
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 😊 And for joining in too – off to check yours out now!
bushboy
Lovely collection Sarah. Quite dynamic photos as well as gentle lapping
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Brian, I was trying to get that variety 🙂