The Big Blue

What does this title provoke in you? How does it make you feel? Does it maybe remind you of Luc Besson’s epic movie starring Jean Reno? Or do you rather remember a time you spent in or on the open ocean? Maybe you think about lying in the grass and watching the blue sky or a long stroll along the beach comes to your mind.

Here and now you can expect some oceanic and heavenly blue tones as seen from and around the volcanic islands of the Azores, and more precisely Pico and Faial.
All photographs were taken without a filter and as such mirror the pureness of the colours.

I find it impossible to reflect the open ocean in images. It is something you must breathe in, see, feel, and take time to experience from my point of view. My hope is to give you just a little idea of the blue, that still takes my breath away.

Wherever you go, you see the ocean, which is kind of normal for a small island you may think. But maybe because you know you stand in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, the views and thoughts are somewhat magical and they kept me gently focused on them.

Blue is said to have a relaxing and calming effect.
Have you ever found yourself longing for a stroll along a river, a lake, or the beach, when you were stressed, unnerved, tense?

What these islands also offer is lush green. It stands for hope and confidence. What a wonderful combination to indulge in, don’t you think? It was the right place to be for me.

You sit, relax, and look. Time passes like that on Pico. Okay, sometimes you walk, and then look, swim, and look, ride a boat, and look, maybe dive, and look, eat, and look, drink, and look, sleep, and look, chat, and look…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Even your bed linen can come in those shades of blue. Do you smell the salty air?

Choose a sea view and you may wake up to or go to bed with this. We had a lot of rainbows as there were some drizzles now and then. Yet, I have never seen a rainbow falling into the ocean! And you know what, we were already welcomed by a rainbow. Our plane literally flew into it. Magic right there on arrival.

Surely, the blue can also be harsh and bloody hard I am telling you. On our way back from our trip to Princess Alice – where we encountered the majestic mobula rays (Mobula tarapacana) – the swell was so strong that we had a very bumpy ride and our backs and bums still hurt badly the next day… These islands are fully exposed to the natural forces that come with the open ocean, the wind, and the sun, after all.

The mood of the weather can change fast in all directions, especially when wind plays a role. I stumbled over an Azorean saying: “When you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes and you will.” :0)

 

Of course, the waters here are rich in wildlife (luckily still). You typically find open ocean species, from blue and mako sharks to tuna and sperm whales. The latter can be respectfully observed from a zodiac, but you always only see a fraction of the actual animal. A bit of the back and its fin in the first image and the fluke of one animal next to the backs of two other animals in the second image. Well, it is still not too bad for being taken with a smartphone.

Dolphins also call the big blue their home. And next is a photograph I must have been supported by a magic finger. Since dolphins move so fast, I really do not know how I got this. Magic again.
Watching these stunning animals in their habitat was breathtaking and thanks to this photo I am now able to share it with you.

Had enough of the blue? Here is to a sunset!

Now I wonder, what does the big blue make with YOU? Share in the comments, please.

Obrigado (Portuguese for thank you),
Daniela