A Quiet Visit to Figure Eight Island

sand dunes and sea grasses on figure eight island, north carolina

It’s kind of surprising that despite all the time I spent along the North Carolina coast, until this spring, I’d only been to the beaches south of Ocracoke once for a wedding years ago. When the invite arrived for a group of photography friends to gather in Wilmington, I jumped at the chance to spend a few days on the beaches south of my favorite place in the world.

We arrived just in time for a trip over to Figure Eight Island. A private barrier island accessed by a guarded bridge over the Intercoastal waterway, Figure Eight was quiet and sleepy on this spring day.

sand dunes and beach fences in front of beach houses on figure eight island, north carolina
sand dunes and beach fences on figure eight island, north carolina

The shores of Figure Eight are similar to my beloved beaches on Hatteras Island with familiar sights and sounds of dune fences, shells, and shorebirds.

pelicans fly above beach houses over the sand at figure eight island, north carolina
oyster shell on sand, figure eight island, north carolina
clouds in blue sky
sand dunes and beach fences on figure eight island, north carolina
scallop shell on beach in figure eight island, north carolina

We spent time wandering the beach, each photographer following the pull of their camera to choose what to photograph.

photographer on the beach with camera, figure eight island, north carolina
photographers on the beach with camera, figure eight island, north carolina
shoreline of figure eight island, north carolina

As the light dipped lower in the sky, we made our way to the marsh side of the island to watch a hazy sunset over the Intercoastal Waterway.

hazy yellow sunset intercoastal waterway, figure eight island, north carolina
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Photography Wanderings in Wilmington, North Carolina

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Motivation in the unexpected gift of a 35mm film camera