In Pictures: Surfing Photographer Captures Never-Seen-Before Frozen Waves on Camera

Nature is astonishing in its glory. It takes countless shapes and forms, each more beautiful than the last. While all of us have experienced breathtaking sceneries at the sea, this one, immortalized in pictures by a surfing photographer, will blow your mind for sure. While still water-bodies such as lakes and ponds are known to freeze all the time when the temperature goes down, it is rare to hear about the ocean being frozen. However, in the year 2015, Jonathan Nimerfroh came across this staggering phenomenon when he visited the sea in Nantucket.

Jonathan Nimerfroh, a surf and lifestyle photographer, became a sensation on the internet after his pictures showing “Slurpee waves” in Nantucket went viral. According to his official website, Nimerfroh lives in San Juan Capistrano, California, and is also the owner and founder of We Fall In & Runaway Bride Nantucket. He loves to travel, surf and volunteer within his community. These photographs have been his invaluable gift to humanity.

Astonishing “Slurpee waves” create a buzz on the internet

The temperatures had dropped to 19 degrees and it was one of the coldest winters in 81 years. The extremely low temperatures caused the waves to partially freeze and gave them a “Slurpee” like texture. The semi-frozen waves were thick and 2-3 feet tall as they lapped up to the shore. Upon visiting again the next day, Nimerfroh found the waves to be completely frozen. According to OneHandSt, Nimerfroh said, “They were perfect slush waves.”

Since he took the photos in 2015, they have gone viral several times, once in 2017 and again in 2023. Nimerfroh has also shared pictures of the semi-frozen Atlantic Ocean multiple times on his social media accounts, such as his Instagram, and they always leave fans astonished.

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While beautiful, not ideal for surfing

Describing the waves, Jonathan Nimerfroh said, “The wind was blowing from the southwest, which normally produces difficult or choppy conditions, not ideal for surfing.” He also explained the effect of the wind on the thick waves, and said, “The wind had little effect on the form because the sea’s surface was frozen slush.” In an interview with Stay Wild Magazine, Nimerfroh remembered the day he shot these beautiful images.

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He revealed, “Just been extremely chilly here. The mainland port is completely frozen… The beach for 200 yards out froze the day after I photographed these.” Jonathan Nimerfroh is a photographer “obsessed with water”. His pictures include several shots of the sea, some even edited with patterns to make them look avant-garde. In addition to that, he also loves surfing.

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