Welcome to storm season 2025
Chasing the First Storm of the Season
The first storm of the season rolled into the Bay on a Friday night — a full symphony of light and thunder. From the moment I saw it building on the horizon, I knew I couldn’t just watch it from home. I grabbed the camera and made for the top of Gan Gan Hill, my favourite vantage point for when the sky decides to put on a show.
The storm was slow-moving at first, crawling in from the west like it was testing its strength. The sky pulsed with flashes of distant lightning, each one a promise of what was to come. I could feel the tension building — that electric mix of humidity and anticipation that always comes before the first real storm of summer.
As it gathered pace, I moved with it, trying to stay one step ahead. My goal was clear: be in the right spot to capture the moment it hit Shoal Bay. By the time it reached the cooler waters of the coast, the storm had found its full voice. Bolts of lightning began crashing down in furious succession, the sky alive with energy. And then came the rain — heavy, relentless, blurring the horizon in sheets of silver.
It was both frightening and exhilarating. My heart raced as bolt after bolt struck the ground around me, the thunder cracking like gunfire and echoing across the water. Every flash illuminated the Bay in ghostly whites and purples, revealing a world caught between chaos and beauty.
There’s something raw about moments like this — when nature reminds you just how small you are, and yet, how alive. As the storm passed and the last rumbles faded into the distance, I stood there drenched and grinning, memory card full and spirit completely recharged.
The first storm of the season never disappoints
