Two Sennheiser 8040s after being submerged in the North Sea

---

Released on 0-0-0.space (Digital)

In spring 2025, I visited Ross Sands on the Northumberland, UK coast to record the wading birds that gather on its exposed flats. These birds follow the tides, feeding as the water recedes and rises. The process was simple but slow: leave the microphones at low tide, wait for the sea to return and retreat, and then collect them, a full tidal cycle. I’d done this before with success, but this evening I wanted something special: the sound of the brent geese flocking before their migration.

That evening, however, the spring tide rose higher than forecast. As the sun went down, I could no longer see my microphones, the waves had reached my recording rig and pulled it out to sea.

I took off my shoes, socks and trousers, and waded into the cold mud to search for it. After nearly an hour of slipping through the mudflats in the dark, I finally found the rig lodged in a bank, fully submerged. I carried it back to the car, wet, cold and frustrated.

Back home, following advice from sound recordist Chris Watson, I washed and carefully dried the microphones. When I eventually plugged them in again and pressed record.

The sound of two Sennheiser 8040s after being submerged in the North Sea