The dawning of a colourful palette over the Java Sea

GEOFFREY THOMAS celebrates a new day

Many, including me, will argue the most beautiful time of day is just before sunrise as the sky lights up, with all shades of pink and orange heralding the first rays of the warming sun.

Combine that with a glassy sea and towering thunderstorms in the tropics and you have the ultimate photographic palette.

That is exactly what I find at 5.30am in the Java Sea approaching Bali on the Silver Muse.

I cut a lonely figure at that hour on the top deck and am consumed by the magnificent colours of nature framed by Bali’s giant and unpredictable volcano, Mt Agung.

Our ship weaves left and right as we dodge hundreds of tiny fishing vessels little bigger than canoes, and our captain cuts the ship’s speed dramatically to avoid large bow waves that would disturb their fishing or even sink them.

I dart from one side of the ship to the other as the colours of the morning change almost every second. Soft pinks give way to stronger tones, and then orange hues evolve.

The towering thunderstorms become a canvas for nature to paint her morning colours, and the sea a mirror of that masterpiece. This is just fabulous.

I juggle my iPhone 12 Pro with my Canon R7 mirrorless SLR.

I am soon joined by three other passengers and we all agree those who are still asleep have no idea what they are missing. If I was the captain, I would have Reveille played through the ship’s address system. You can’t miss this lightshow nature has provided.

Above, sunrise on the Java Sea. Right, towering thunderstorms give nature a palette to paint the dawn.