This is a picture by Clark Little of a crashing wave from underneath the water. This image was interesting to me because while waves are a pretty familiar fluid flow, this is a view of a wave that is seldom seen. On the surface a crashing wave can seem chaotic but from underneath it looks very clean and uniform.
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Second Place: I love this perspective of the wave seen from below! I find the rings of what I’d assume to be air that protrude from the crashing wave to be fascinating and an odd flow.
first place. the angle of the photo is intriguing and it conveys a sense of calm underneath the chaotic wave above. the streamlines underneath the wave seem to be unusual and intricate
second place. What a cool picture of a awesome wave.
First Place. I came across a photo like this 6 years ago and was amazed by the secondary rib vortices which wrap around the breaking wave. Although the view from below looks less chaotic clearly the flow field is still complex, as one usually thinks of the primary rotation of the wave which has an axis aligned with the beach. The origin of those rib vortices is not obvious on first inspection but there is some information out there on them. When you get a minute go search a little and you should find some info explaining how they form.
3rd Place.
As you stated, Ryan, this is a fascinating view of a wave that is rarely seen. Under the chaos of a crashing wave, the flow is so neat and systematic. The rings, or “ribs” as previously mentioned, around the trough of the wave are incredible.
Third place. Huge Clark Little fan, love his work. He always seems to find a new way to shoot a wave revealing both the fluid flow and the natural beauty of the wave. So many complex structures are caught with this one image, quite amazing.
It’s those streamwise ribs wrapped around the curve of the wave that I find fascinating.
Third place. I really appreciate the artistic nature of this photo, as it is a very well composed photograph, while showing the amazing fluid properties of a crashing wave.