View a gallery with stunning photos of sea waves

Since most of the world's population lives relatively far from coastal regions, it is easy to forget that 70% of the entire surface of our planet is made up of water from oceans and seas. Our most common contact with all this vastness is the beaches, where we usually swim a little, get a tan and then come home.

But have you ever stopped to watch the incredible spectacle of waves breaking on the sand or rocks of the beach? The idea may never have occurred to you, but luckily it has already sprung into the minds of many people around the world, and inspired by the work of photographers Warren Keelan and Ray Collins, Bored Panda has made a selection of some of the most beautiful wave records this has ever had. who writes to you has had the happiness to admire.

According to physics, sea waves are disturbances generated on the water surface by the transfer of wind energy when it exerts a force resulting from pressure differences caused by fluctuations in wind speed near the air-sea interface. However, they can mean much more than that, depending on how we look at them.

To a surfer, they are a calling; to the captain of a fishing boat they can be a warning; for coastal residents, it's background music; to the unfortunate they can be a death sentence. The waves are proof that nature can be kind at one time and angry at the other, or both at the same time in some cases. Regardless, they are truly ephemeral works of art, and it's worth taking a few minutes of your day to enjoy.