From the Wild, Rugged Edges of the Costa Brava, Photographer Sara Costa’s Best Shot

I was meeting the Mediterranean sea once again after the lockdown. Just the car, the camping gas, and the camera – I really needed it.

I was a little bit worried about where to sleep: The Costa Brava is always popular with tourists and the police are always looking for wild campers. But to my surprise, the Costa Brava was a kind of marvellous desert. It was the first (and last!) time I’ve seen it like this in my whole life, a kind of dream. I felt lucky to enjoy this paradise – having dinner under the stars and having breakfast so close to the sea.

Can you remember the sensation of the perfect temperature on your skin, with the special smell of the sun and the salt in your hair? This is how I felt the day I decided to take a walk, looking for special little places to stop and sit. I decided to walk through the rocks in the direction of the sea, dreaming about a cove (coves are not comfortable, but the rocks sometimes have draws, reliefs and, in the north of Catalonia, really inspiring seaweed). I found a spectacular one: the sea was rough – bravo – a lot of water movement, in and out of this special landscape. There was another person there besides me – naked, swimming in the water and adding to the movement. The rocks, a detailed drawing; the waves, an oil painting; and his naked body swimming all part of that painting, just perfectly at one with nature.

Sara Costa is a photographer. She lives in the countryside, close to Barcelona, Spain.