Man surfing in rocky sea at sunset
Coast & seascapes,  People,  Sunday Stills,  Themed galleries

Gallery: taking the plunge

January 10, 2023 / 25 Comments

Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There are plenty of quotes that encourage us to take the plunge.

But dare rather to quit the platform, plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so shall you come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience, that shall explain & overlook the old

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We all understand the concept. Be brave, don’t hesitate, don’t hold back. We can apply this to our working lives (go for that promotion!), and our personal lives (don’t wait, travel, book that flight, train for that marathon!)

But those things are hard to photograph, rather abstract. So for this week’s Sunday Stills I’ve opted interpret the theme of ‘plunge’ completely literally. My chosen photos show people, and a few animals, taking the plunge into the water. Some I know have been used in previous posts, but they fitted the theme too well not to share them again! But the first two are brand new, taken just a few days ago.

People taking the plunge

A lot, but not all, of these people shots were taken in Tynemouth. That’s perhaps not surprising, as it’s our favourite spot for a coastal walk when we’re staying in Newcastle. And again a lot, but not all, were taken from above, up on the cliffs or in the case of the Brighton shot a pier. That’s also not surprising, as that’s a discreet way to ‘spy’ on the activities of others!

Three people in the sea seen from above

Brave people taking a dip on 2nd January 2023, Tynemouth

Three people in the sea seen from above

The two on the right didn’t get much further in, but the man on the left really took the plunge, diving straight into the chilly waves

Several people and dogs on a beach with a surfer entering the water

Surfers and dog walker, Tynemouth (December 2019)

Two young boys in the sea

Paddling, Tynemouth (August 2015)

Little girl with fishing net and bucket

Rock-pooling, Tynemouth (August 2015)

Swimmer in Brighton

Lady in pink swimming cap in the sea
Two men and a dog entering the sea on a pebbly beach

In Praia on Santiago, one of the Cape Verde Islands

Man running into the sea

After an evening dip in Albufeira, Portugal

Man and woman on surfboards in the sea

Surfers in St Ives, Cornwall

Man surfing

Surfer in Guiones, Costa Rica

And the surfer in my featured image was photographed in Hanga Roa on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Animals and birds taking the plunge

I’ve cheated a bit here, as a couple of these creatures are at home in the water in a way that we can never be, so I can’t really claim that they are taking the plunge with any degree of daring, as is often implied in that phrase. No, these are simply some shots of animals in water that I rather like!

Running running into the sea

Dog in the sea at Tynemouth

Black dog shaking off water in front of a sculpture

Dog in the Neptunbrunnen, Berlin

Man on a horse at the edge of the sea

Horse and rider on the beach at sunset, Gambia

Sea lion looking at camera underwater and upside down

Snorkelling with sea lions off Santa Fe, Galapagos, where I was taking the plunge!

Gull landing on water

Gull landing on a lake at the open air sculpture gallery on San Juan, WA

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