Thor's Well
Near Cook's Chasm on the Oregon Coast, Thor's Well is a spectacular natural anomaly that draws adventure seeking photographers like a magnet. Despite its reputation as being super dangerous, it didn't seem abnormally so to me. Whether you're strolling on a sandy beach, exploring the Devil's Churn, or fishing along the edge of a breakwater, a sneaker wave can overtake you. Shoreline safety rules apply equally anywhere along the PNW coastline. The difference at Thor's Well is that the rough, jagged rocks of the shore line don't allow a person to run from a sneaker wave, so paying strict attention to incoming ocean wave action is crucial for safety.
The "Well" is actually a bowl shaped depression in the volcanic rock shoreline that is open to the sea on the bottom. At high tide, incoming waves fill the bowl from the bottom causing water to surge out of the well, sometimes to heights of 10 or 15 feet, before draining back into the bowl as the waves recede. The draining action makes for great long exposure photos, as shown.
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