2. Severn Bore

Severn Bore

The Severn Bore is a truly unique natural wonder of the western world. It is a large surge wave that runs into the River Severn estuary, where the tidal range is the 2nd highest in the world. The estuary and natural topography of the river converge the water into the narrowing stretch as it moves inland and as the tide rises. The tide-wave is slowed by the river bed and constricting nature of the estuary. 12 hours of flood tide is compressed to just over an hour whereby the rising tide becomes unstable and a bore forms at the leading edge thus forming the large wave.

Capturing the Severn Bore has been extremely challenging. I have used many a craft in order to capture the heart and soul of the great wave as it snakes inland on its epic journey. Car, boat and microlight have all been tools in my constant quest to capture the best of this natural phenomenon.

Severn Bore aerial shoot

What an adventure. A photo shoot of the Severn Bore from a microlight. A real early start in the freezing cold. Reached the bore the lower part of river and conditions were fantastic (clear with no wind) albeit freezing. Something like -20 with wind chill up at 500ft! Got about 40 mins of real good footage and then the mist rolled in and we had to make an emergency landing in a field in Newnham.

This gallery is a pick of the best. Real tough shooting conditions as my hands were frozen solid after 5 mins. All shot with the amazing Olympus E3 and 50-200mm SWD + 12-60mm SWD.
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    Early days on the wave.
    Getting ready.
    In 2007 I experienced the Severn Bore from a vantage point like no other, the sky. I persuaded a microlight pilot to take me up in the air to follow the tidal bore. I had never been in a microlight before. When I arrived at the airfield in Gloucester the microlight reminded me of 'Little Nellie' from the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice'. We accelerated over a bumpy field and then all of a sudden we swept upwards, turning at the same time. All too quickly houses turned into tiny boxes and roads turned into lines. The view was amazing. The Severn river became the dominant feature from the sky, snaking around the numerous towns before disappearing into the horizon towards the Severn Bridge. It may have been a pleasant 14C on the ground but 500ft in the air it was near freezing! A few minutes later I had a sighting of the bore. It barely appeared as a ripple at this height but I immediately sprung the camera into action. Over the course of the next hour and a half I got some spectacular footage. I was amazed at how much the bore changes in appearance through the differing sections of the river. At times we were struggling to see the leading edge, no more than a ripple. Then out of nowhere a huge breaking wave would appear and rip all in its path. My hands were frozen solid after about 15 mins into the flight. There were also a few 'white knuckle' moments as we twisted, turned and dived in one manoeuvre. I was close to chucking on more than one occasion. I eventually landed and I was visibly shaking such was the adrenalin running through me. It was an unbelievable shoot, the toughest I have ever undertaken in very testing conditions for a camera (Olympus E1, 90-250mm lens). The aerial images over the next few pages made most of the National newspapers the next day.