A cape is a pointed piece of land jutting out into a body of water. Therefore, you have opportunities for both sunrise and sunset on the water. Sunset Beach is on the western side of the cape and is a wonderful place to enjoy the sunset. There are some lovely benches set up on the beach as well as the Sunset Beach Gift store and The Grille.
Also at Sunset Beach is an interesting shipwreck. During World War I, about a dozen ships were constructed out of concrete because steel was scarce. One of these ships, the S.S. Atlantus, was docked at Cape May after the war. A 1926 storm ran her aground at Sunset Beach. What is left of her hulk rests out in the water.
As I was waiting for sunset, I chatted with folks sitting on the benches with me. One of them introduced me to Cape May "diamonds." She even gathered some for me from the beach while I was photographing the sunset. I realized after the fact that I had captured some of these "diamonds" during my sunrise shoot. These "diamonds" catch the light of the rising or setting sun and when they are wet, they glow. The reality is they are water polished quartz about the size of pearls. You can buy polished ones at the gift store at Sunset Beach, but I treasure my gifts from a generous stranger.
I shot different angles and exposures trying to capture the setting sun and the waves whipped up by the wind that day. I suspect other days have much smaller waves hitting the beach, but I had a beautiful, tranquil sunset to capture with my camera and to enjoy.
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