Low tide reveals a hidden cavern on the beach

It's just after new moon and the tide is lower than usual now. As a result it revealed a part of the landscape that is usually hidden from view at any other time of the month. I want to share with you some of the awesome photos I was able to capture at this rare window in time, here on the southernmost shoreline of Africa.

This particular stretch of coastline is truly beautiful at any time of the month or year, and in any conditions. However, there is one facet of this beach that is only visible once a month around the new moon and only for a few hours at a time around the low tide. I was able to time my exploration just right and managed to capture the scene for the record today.

It's Autumn season now, with summer just passed in the southern hemisphere, so the sky was clouded and overcast. However, it still feels warm and humid, since summer arrives late and lingers in this region known as the Garden Route. As a result the light was subdued, as you can see in the photos, and not is normal dazzling and sharp bright side. It's amazing how the mood shifted based simply on the climate and weather conditions on the day.

With the tide extremely low today, more of the rocks were exposed and thus some the underworld was revealed, in a manner of speaking. It was possible to observe the fascinating sea life that clings to the rocks as well as the ephemeral shades and colors of the rocks that make up the base on the peninsula. All the elements were aligned and I made my way towards some rare spaces in the rock formations.

The landscape was like a zen garden, spontaneously arranged by Mother Nature over thousands of years. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but this setting appeared truly beautiful, if perhaps in a subtle and understated way. The conditions were gentle and soft, while the rocks were hard and solid. It revealed a delicate balance at this meeting place of land and sea, this in-between zone that one can only rarely access, like the hypnogogic world of the lucid dream.

It was at this moment of rare alignment in time and space that I was able to access a hidden cavern in the hillside slopes of the peninsula which jutts up out of the flat beach and protrudes at right angles from the shoreline out to sea. If you look at the arrow on the photo above, you will just see it from a distance.

Normally this cavern is inaccessible because the tide is too high, but with the new moon and the extra low tide today, I was able to make my way over the shell-covered rocks and explore the mysteries that lay hidden there.

I have no problem waking or climbing with bare feet on the rocks as I've been doing this all my life along this southern shore, but you might want to wear shoes if you're not used to the rough terrain. The jagged rocks and sharp mussel shells make for an interesting texture. It's a healthy type of reflexology if you like.

Once inside the cavern, it feels like a perfect hidden spot for meditation. This peninsula is the home of a large permanent seal colony, and you can occasionally see them swimming and playing among the waves near the beach. And occasionally their dead bodies wash up onto the beach or into these rocky alcoves where they are either removed by the municipality or simply decompose and dry up if inaccessible.

I didn't stay too long in the cavern as the window of opportunity is limited by the changing tide. You don't want to be caught in the cavern with your return path blocked by the crashing waves.

If you time it right this hidden treasure of a rock feature is quick and easy to access, and as every farmer or sailor knows, timing is everything. After sitting in the cavern for what seemed like a timeless moment, I returned to the sandy beach and the known world of names and people, feeling inspired by the exploration and discovery of this rarely seen zone.

Life is beautiful, especially if you're able to access this kind of setting. It's truly inspiring as well as healthy for body, mind and soul to get in touch with nature like this. I hope that wherever you are, you can also tap in to the beauty of nature to uplift your mood and revive your health.

Photos my own, written and published onto the Hive blockchain from my mobile device.