JUNE 2025 – A red flag blows in the wind on a rescue tower at the beach of Bellaria Igea Marina, Rimini, Italy. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
During our 2025 trip to Bellaria we experienced a storm. It began in the afternoon of the 16th June around 3 pm. Dark clouds turned up in the west, and we sensed that this would go far beyond a simple rainshower. It looked bizarre because the beach itself was still in sunshine.
We packed our belongings and walked the few steps to the Hotel Torre. Shortly before we reached the hotel, it started to rain. Just ever so slightly with just a few drops. Nothing serious. Should we have stayed at the beach?
Well, no.
About an hour later the rain poured down on us. A heavy wind was gushing through the streets. And we were very happy to be at the hotel. This nasty weather continued all night into the morning of the next day.
It calmed down around noon, and at 3 pm the sun came out again. We went to the beach to see whether it had been affected by the storm.
And indeed, not only were there masses of seaweed at the shore (my photo above), but the sea level was quite high. It was so high that the post of the rescue swimmers was standing in the water. Usually it is 2-3 meters away from the water.
The sea was still heavy, and the waves were effortlessly crushing over the solid rocks that usually protect the beach.
Later that afternoon, the sky had completely cleared up and folks were enjoying the beach again. Swimming was still not allowed. At that time I shot the image of the red flag at the top of this post.
By the way, the next morning countless helpers had cleaned up the beach again. There were really no traces at all that this heavy storm had ever happened.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date & Time | 17-JUN-2025, 17:59 |
| Location | Bellaria-Igea Marina, Italy |
| Camera | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (SM-G990B2) |
| ISO | 40 |
| Exposure | 1/3200 sec at f/1.8 |
| Digital Image Source Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 4000 x 3000 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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