Dolosse at Old Colwyn, Llanddulas, Wales

Kit:-
Sony SLT-A35 | Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 EX DG | Sony 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 SAM | Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM | iPhone 8 Plus | Mac OS X & The GIMP // etc

A big pile of concrete shapes seen near water - something many of you have probably seen, but could you name it? They are Dolosse, a type of breakwater armour designed in the 1960s by a South African harbour draughtsman. This particular section is part of some 20,000+ Dolos installed along the breakwater at Old Colwyn, guarding the North Wales Expressway and designed to withstand a storm of severity expected to occur once in every 100 years.

More than simply lumps of material, these wonderfully brutalist looking structures are a complex design that reduce the ferocity of stormy seas by way of their interlocking design, which disperses the energy from the waves. Each Dolos is numbered and over time their movements can be tracked.

Seen here just beside the breakwater are some unused Dolosse, placed here but presumably never used as they were surplus to requirements. My understanding is they have sat here since the breakwater was installed in the 1980s and have never been moved since. They are a very artistic subject and a very real portrayal of man's impact on the environment, but not fighting it, instead harmonising with it.

This image shows the actual size of the Dolos, putting into perspective that they are rather large! I am unsure whether all Dolos units share exact dimensions or whether they are cast in a size specific to the calculated requirements of the location. Regardless, I am 6 feet tall and these dwarfed me.

I was lucky enough to arrive while the tide was at a low point. The above image shows how the Dolosse at the bottom of the pile suffer comparatively worse lives than the ones at the top. Over 20 years of battering by the sea has not only rounded off the edges of these units, but they have become covered in barnacles, seaweed and algae. Despite this, I did not spot any broken Dolosse at all, so they have stood the test of time.

Finally, I took this photo of silhouetted Dolosse while leaving Old Colwyn. For those wondering, Dolosse is the plural form of Dolos, the word finding its origins in the South African language.

Thanks for reading!

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