Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the sea. On the one hand, I have a phobia of it which developed when I was a small child. My dad took me down to the beach one day and I was taken by the current. Neither of us were able to swim at the time, so it was a scary experience. As an adult, I’ve managed to pretty much get over my fear by taking part in activities such as scuba diving and body boarding (I can now swim). I’ve grown to love the sea, and in return it has provided me with a place to relax and reflect. I grew up by the sea, and have lived on the coast for most of my life. I feel secure knowing that the sea is nearby. When things get too tough and life feels claustrophobic, I run to the shore and look out to the horizon. It makes me feel better.

The only time in my life that I haven’t had the sea within reaching distance is when I lived in Austria. Living in a landlocked country felt suffocating, and I had to make do with standing on top of mountains and looking out to the distance to feel the same sense of freedom.

Above is the sea where I grew up in Lancashire, although the promenade wasn’t as nicely developed as this when I was a child.

Although we don’t have any beaches where I now live in Cardiff, we still get to enjoy the sea. The Cardiff Bay Barrage separates the sea from a freshwater basin.

This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea. Click here to see more entries.