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Nearly Frozen ‘Slurpee’ Waves Surge off the Coast of Nantucket

All photos © Jonathan Nimerfroh. Licensed for use on Colossal.

With single digit temperatures and massive snow storms sweeping the northern United States, it’s no surprise that most things are going to freeze. This includes the waves just off the shore of Nantucket, which turned into a slurry of rolling ice when temperatures dropped to 12 degrees Fahrenheit this week. On January 2nd photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh not only captured the phenomena of these partially frozen waves crashing against the shore, but also an extremely brave surfer (Jamie Briard) weathering the icy conditions.

“I ran up and down the beach, taking as many shots as I could of this freezing, fleeting show of nature,” Nimerfroh tells Colossal. “Slurpee waves are the kind of thing you might only be lucky enough to see once, so I count myself as very lucky to have seen them twice.”

Just two years ago the photographer captured waves of a similar slushy consistency off the same shore. You can follow more of Nimerfroh’s seaside photography on Instagram.