It started like any other quiet summer afternoon at Bronte Beach – blue sky, a soft breeze, and that unmistakable stillness in the air. But then, something strange appeared on the horizon: tiny, tentacle-like clouds, dangling low over the sea. From past experience, I knew this was no ordinary weather shift. Something was coming.
I grabbed my camera and rushed to the rocks. It took just five minutes – but in that short time, everything changed. The delicate cloud wisps had morphed into a massive, glowing shelf cloud, lit dramatically by the golden light of the setting sun.
Shelf clouds, a type of arcus cloud, form at the leading edge of storms. They stretch low across the sky in long, wedge-like shapes and often signal powerful winds, rain, or hail. This one looked like a glowing crown, constantly shifting shape by the minute – beautiful, surreal, and ominous all at once.
I had only a few minutes to shoot before the storm reached me. A violent gust hit with such force I could barely stay upright, let alone keep my eyes open. Seawater was whipping through the air, soaking my camera. I scrambled for shelter as the wind picked up intensity.
The cloud formation moved quickly toward Bondi, so I followed, hoping the headland would block the worst of the wind. Running along the coastal path felt like running through a sandstorm. Tiny rocks and grains of sand pelted my skin like needles. I had to close my eyes and run blindly through the chaos.
Once I reached the other side, conditions had eased just enough to unpack my camera again. The sun had already slipped below the horizon, and the shelf cloud had transformed into a soft, pink billow — eerie and dreamlike. With the wind still howling, the sky glowed with pastel colours, while sand, leaves, and debris swirled around me. It felt otherworldly – majestic and a little terrifying at the same time.
On the way home, the streets looked like a war zone. Trees were down, rubbish bins overturned, and the ground was carpeted in leaves and debris. But the images I captured – that strange, fleeting storm – were more than worth it.