Thor's Well

Ahhh Thor’s Well, you cagey hole in the rock you.

I can’t really explain why, but Thor’s Well is sort of a bucket list shot that I really want. There are a million great photos of it out there, but I still want my own.

After all my recent woodland/forest/tree images, it was time for a change of scenery, so I decided to head to the Oregon Coast. If you’ve never been, it’s a must-see. I highly recommend driving the entire length of Highway 101. The central and southern Oregon Coast is especially stunning as the forest comes right up to the ocean’s edge with dramatic cliffs, sea stacks, and more.

At low tide, Thor’s Well is a rather unassuming hole in the rocky basalt coastline. The Pacific Ocean calmly fills it from below, before emptying again with each retreating wave.

High tide, though, is a completely different story.

As the tide churns, water comes exploding from the depths of Thor’s Well in giant bursts. Waves crash over the rocks and spill down into the hole as the water recedes. Get too close and a wave just might sweep you into its dark, volcanic rock-lined depths.

High tide and sunset at Thor’s Well is a combination that requires a bit of patience and planning, only happening a couple of times per month. When conditions and luck align along with a bit of bravery on the part of the photographer, spectacular images are captured.

As I neared the location my excitement grew. The light was looking pretty good and some decent cloud formations were coming and going. This just might be it. As I exited my vehicle and started to prepare my gear, the thundering tide against the rocks was not easily ignored. Looking out over the beach from above, I saw large waves crashing over the very area I would need to stand for my photography, the spray launching 10 to 20 feet in the air.

My heart started beating a bit faster.

I descended the trail down towards the water, then down the final set of stairs and onto the rocks. Watching the waves crash from here, with the water shooting way overhead, cranked the intensity dial up to 11.

I arrived around 4:30pm and according to my tide chart, high tide was supposed to peak at 4:45pm and then start receding. I decided to try to scope out the area a bit and determine what my approach would be. The black basalt is sharp and uneven, making it difficult to walk and painful if you fall. Occasionally, a skiff of seaweed from a tide pool made things slick. Navigating the terrain is virtually impossible with powerful waves crashing against the rocks and the tide carrying water all the way to where I was standing.

4:45pm came and went with the tide showing no sign of relenting.

Every time I dared venture closer to the mouth of Thor’s Well, a foreboding wave would send me scurrying back over the rocks to safety.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky by the minute, I came to the realization that today was not going to be the day I captured my creative vision for Thor’s Well. Disappointed, but happy not to have been swept away by the sea, I sat down to watch the final few minutes of sunset and fired off a couple of snapshots.

In the end, it was a great day of adventure and bearing witness to nature’s raw power and beauty. The shot remains on the bucket list, unchecked. Luckily, Thor’s Well will remain patient and wait to give me an opportunity another day.