The National Geographic Orion sailed into Narrows of Talbots Bay as the first rays of sun ignited the lime stone escarpments. An early breakfast was served to a spectacular vista of Slug Island alongside. As the Indian Ocean flooded into the narrows we embarked on our Zodiacs into the spectacle that is the Horizontal Waterfalls. The falls are created by gaps in two parallel ridges separating two valleys now flooded by the sea. These gaps are so narrow that the tide cannot fill the space on the opposite side fast enough creating a differential in the water level. Eddies and whirlpools whip the water through the gaps as the expedition team negotiated our intrepid Zodiacs forward to capture the perfect camera angles.
Venturing on from the Horizontal Waterfalls we scoured the shoreline of cyclone bay for wildlife. A white bellied sea eagle posed and preened high on a eucalypt, the tree defying gravity as it protruded out of the shear sand stone cliffs. Venturing further into the bay we encountered a Kimberly rose in full bloom, a stark contrast to bare limestone ridges it clings too. With each bend of bay revealing incredible vistas, the magnitude of the forces released to create the geology of the Kimberley were clearly evident in the vertical stratification of the limestone.
Back on board, Massimo brought us into his life on assignment sharing his experiences scaling the mountains in the Congo, glimpses into the mafia and the beauty of sunrise in the Isles of Romance. Beyond photography this was an insight into what it meant to share moments, ceremony and emotion with people from around the world.
Before the midday sun we venture out again in the Zodiacs to inspect the falls at slack tide, passing peacefully through what had been a turbulent flood of eddies and rapids earlier in the day. With the water momentarily still, we found our photography instructor Doug Gould’s words echoing in our heads from yesterday’s presentation. For a moment lens caps remained on and we just felt the essence of this this beautiful place.
Following the rock wallabies lead, we sought refuge from the midday sun as naturalist Dr. Martin Cohen introduced us to the unique flora and fauna found around the Kimberley region and the role isolation of the Australian continent has played in creating the incredible diversity of this ecosystem. Armed with this newfound knowledge, we headed back out for a sunset Zodiac expedition.
