Thunder Hole Surf, Acadia NP

If you do any reading and research on Acadia National Park before you visit it, you’ll read about Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll in. At the end of this inlet, down low, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar! Hence the name: Thunder Hole. On this day, we had to settle for Thunder Hole surf.

Surf overtakes the rocks at Thunder Hole

Thunder Hole is one of those attractions you have to hit just right. In reading up on Thunder Hole, I knew that I had a slight chance of seeing the actual surge of water and the resulting large wave that explodes through the hole. But, the tide has to be right and it certainly helps if a storm is coming in while you’re there. I talked with a lady who lives near the park and despite visiting Thunder Hole multiple times a year, she had only seen the true “show” a couple of times.

We visited Thunder Hole early in the morning as a storm was approaching and the tide was almost completely in, but the inlet only gurgled and occasionally spit out a meager splash. On the other hand, directly behind us was a large mass of Maine granite protruding from the water but routinely being covered by the incoming surf. Since it was a cloudy, dreary morning, I decided that a black and white long exposure would be perfect for this photo. I took several different long exposures since the waves don’t pose for you. I came away with several solid images but I liked this one the best. I especially wanted to make sure I left some tone and texture in the water and preserved the highlights.

Thunder Hole remains on my list of places to go see the next time I’m in Maine. Hopefully, our timing will be better!