Haha! this literally is as weird and hilarious as it sounds!

Okay, so my photographer friend (Andy Chang) and I had this awesome idea to get down to Botany Bay and have a photoshoot, and we began quite rushed as the tide was coming in a bit earlier than we expected. Anyway, so we noticed there was a huge bit of beach which was virtually untouched - BAZINGA!

However, there was a reason, nobody was there, where the tide was coming in it meant we were on our way to being stranded on the beach. Little did we know this, and that we were about to embark on a hilarious day filled with adventure, panic and equal parts delirium!

So we were filled with glee at being on a virtually untouched area of beach, we tried our best to walk the same routes that were already marked out. Whilst on our third, or fourth set I looked over and noticed that the water was now crashing up the cliff blocking the path we had taken. Andy reassured me that it would go out in a couple of hours. So we continue shooting. We went over the a bit of an alcove before it disappeared with the water and had some amazing images there (I’ll attach below). However, after about 15 minutes I spotted a huge white fish, with its head missing, and I freaked out BIG time!!!! We managed to continue shooting but then as the water came in it was moving ‘dead fish’ around and I could no longer cope with it! Haha! So we moved to another location and I changed my outfit, and we, well I went and sat where the waves were coming onto the sand… I also have a bit of a thing about seaweed… and so a couple of time seaweed created some pretty hilarious outtakes.. One of which I have and will also post below!

We had almost no phone signal either so it took us about four hours to be able to check tide times. Which said 9pm… And we instantly became convinced we were going to be stuck on this bay until 9pm that night - at this point it was about 12:30pm, and panic set in! We decided to take a little break. I can’t even really tell you what happened, but we were singing random songs, and there were some weird bugs that kept tickling our feet under the sand and freaking us out. And we named a few of them as they jumped their way toward to sea and were taken with the waves, with absolutely no fear! It was at this point we realised we had about 10m of beach left and began to pray that the sea wouldn’t come in any further! Which, thankfully, it didn’t! 

So then we decided to explore more of the beach, and we found a steep cliff bit that lead to an alcove, and being nosy we both climbed it. We even took a couple of photos - how Andy lodged himself at the angle he did I will never know. But on the descent, I managed it with ease, and looked up to see Andy hugging the cliff for dear life and shout at me for being so fast and showing off! I climbed back up to help him but like the brave man he is he replied ‘No, I am going to do this myself, just like you did!’ Oh Andy! 

Then we found some, what we could only assume were smugglers caves years ago, and naturally I wanted to climb up and see! It was pretty cool up there! But I think my favourite part was crouching down and sliding down it again on my feet!

When the tide began going out we kept scaling the side of the cliff to see how deep it was/how strong the sea was, to try and get round. Eventually, it was! And we discovered that JUST around the corner that we’d been failing at, the bay got really shallow - and I mean, to your ankles shallow, so we could’ve left much earlier if we’d been brave! It reminded me so much of the song from Pocahontas ‘Just Around The Riverbend’ :) a real-life example of how if you just push yourself a little further, you might find something great! 

And as a result I was able to make an audition… They thought it was hilarious and said ‘at least it’s a better excuse than “my cat ate my script”’ 

Here ends the tale of Andy and Charli! :’)