Wave hello: British photographer snaps amazing landscape in Arizona desert

Simon Bryne/Rex Features

A British photographer has captured a rare natural wonder in the Arizona desert.

Simon Byrne was one of the lucky few given the secret location of a stunning sandstone formation called The Wave.

The 31-year-old needed a special permit before he was given "rough guidelines" to find the phenomenon in a remote area of Arizona.

Simon was required to equip himself with four litres of water before tackling the rugged, trackless hike required to reach it.

Located somewhere in the 112,500 acre Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, the Wave is near the Arizona and Utah border on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes.

Described as one of the "most beautiful geologic formations in the world", it consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs eroded into Jurassic age Navajo Sandstone. The two major troughs are 19 metres wide by 36 metres long and two metres wide by 16 metres long.

Simon Byrne/Rex Features

According to Rex Features, Simon, a strategy consultant from London, said: "The location of the Wave is kept secret, and upon permit presentation you are provided some rough guidelines and a few key waypoints to look out for.

"The journey there is across scorching desert rock, with 40C heat in the summer and no shade at all, so you need to be prepared with 4 litres of water per person. It's not well marked either, and the potential is there to end up walking across the desert for days.

"Anyone found in the area without a permit is subject to a hefty fine. This system seems harsh, and I probably would have thought so if I didn't get a ticket, however when you get to the Wave you can see why they do it. It's an amazing place, and is made all the more beautiful by the lack of people there.

"Having tourists fill the place would just ruin it, as the beauty of it is seeing the way the seemingly endless lines run round the entire rock formation in perfectly smooth undulations.

"I found out about it via stumbling across a photo on the internet whilst searching for potential locations to shoot in Arizona. As soon as I saw it I was certain I had to see it for myself as it didn't look real.

"Aside from the main issues of getting there is making sure you have enough memory cards. There are so many different compositions to be had there, and everywhere you look reveals a new perspective that changes the form of the lines entirely."

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