Ofu Beach

Ofu Beach is an approximately 2.5-mile stretch of white sand and palm trees and the only section of the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu Island. Wonderfully remote, but still accessible fairly easily by flight or boat, the Ofu section of the park has few visitors. I spent four days on the island in blissful solitude, exploring the beach, snorkeling the beautiful reef and hiking a few trails on Ofu and the connected island of Olosega.

I took this photo of Ofu Beach around sunset during my third day on the island. The sky had been overcast for most of my stay up to that point, and I was concerned that the light would be too dull to make a nice photo. The clouds ended up having some subtle colors as the sun went down that I think complement with the rest of the scene. Together with the smooth rush of surf and limpid water of the reef, I think the photo effectively communicates the feeling of tranquility I had at the time.