Wind, Waves and Sea Foam

After a morning of very heavy rain, it was time to go down the road for a beach wander on Rissers Beach.

With the temperature at about 12°C, a high tide and warm south wind, the waves were rolling in creating a lot of sea form.

I recall as a kid seeing sea foam and thinking it was some sort of nasty pollution, but alas it is not, it is in fact all natural. For those who may wonder how sea foam is and how it is created, below is an explanation with credit to Wikipedia ~

“Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids) derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beach face inland.”