A wave is not just a wave through ocean videographer’s Philip Thurston’s lens. In fact, there are no words to really describe Thurston’s latest video posted to Instagram, which shows a “wild, otherwordly wave” cresting in slow motion. Thurston asks his community: “Have you ever seen such a spectrum of blues?” No, Thurston, we have not.
The video is simple; it shows a cresting wave at an unknown location in the ocean. And yet, it’s so much more. The wave’s energy as it hurtles forward, the impossible spectrum of blues that somehow intensifies as the video progresses, and the incredible crisp detail captured by Thurston’s camera make this video remarkable.
Thurston goes deep in his caption, saying: “Can you imagine a colour that you’ve never seen? Is it even possible? We’ve learned that colour is just wavelengths of light that we call the visible spectrum—the limit to what our eyes are capable of processing. So, because we cannot imagine another colour, does that mean they don’t exist? Or, perhaps we just don’t have the eyes to see them, yet?”
But now that he has the world’s attention (the video has 2 million likes and counting on Instagram), Thurston says his goal is to inspire.
“Apparently blue is the colour of spirituality, calmness, inspiration and serenity, amongst other meanings,” he writes. “So allow this wild, otherworldly wave of all the blues this world has to offer to calm down your anxious thoughts, inspire you to imagine and bring you peace and serenity.”
Watch the stunning slow-motion wave footage here: