A humpback whale breaches the surface just before the sun heads over the Baja Peninsula.
A humpback whale breaches the surface just before the sun heads over the Baja Peninsula.

Photographer Peter West Carey proves that the hours between dusk and dawn ain’t got nothin’ on Mexico’s sunrises and sunsets.

What is it about sunsets and sunrises that we find so compelling? They make us feel small. They offer a reminder that we live on a planet that spins, that we’re held down by gravity — a force that’s way more powerful than we could ever be. They make us feel big. Of course, time ticks away as usual, but when you catch those golden fragments of light in your eye, there’s a feeling that all you have is time; time to breathe and think. They make us feel secure. There’s a certainty to knowing that although the day is giving way to twilight and night, it will be back again, tomorrow.

Text & photos: Peter West Carey

Some areas of the world set a scene more than others and Mexico is often blessed with the perfect conditions to make the colours and the warmth radiate from the horizon. It helps to have more than 43,450km (27,000 mi) of coastline from which to view this daily blessing.

Take away your worries for just a few moments while you enjoy a bevy of sunsets and sunrises from the Caribbean to the Sea of Cortes and beyond.

Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (1)
Thunderheads left behind from a passing hurricane glow in the upper atmosphere off the coast of Cozumel.
Sunset At Puerto Vallarta
Day’s end in Puerto Vallarta.
Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (3)
Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful spot from which to soak in the sea and sunsets.
Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (5)
Catching silhouettes in the orange glow.
View of seabirds flying above sea - Mexico
Photography, sunrises, and sunsets go hand in hand.
Man taking photo of nature - Mexico
Sunsets make us slow down and take in the atmosphere.
Reflection of orange sky on sea - Mexico
Sunrise in the Sea of Cortes.
Reflection of orange sky on sea - Mexico
A perfect orb rises from the horizon.
A mobula ray catches the first rays of light in the Sea of Cortes.
A mobula ray catches the first rays of light in the Sea of Cortes.
Scenic view of sea against orange sky - Mexico
Even a “boring” sunset with no land in sight is a thing of beauty in Mexico.
A humpback whale breaches the surface just before the sun heads over the Baja Peninsula.
A humpback whale breaches the surface just before the sun heads over the Baja Peninsula.
Sunrise view over mountains and sea - Mexico
The sun goes down over the Baja Peninsula.
Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (15)
On Isla Los Islotes, sea lion colonies are safe from most predators. Can you spot the silhouette of a whale?
Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (2)
When standard sunset or sunrise photographs get to be too much, abstract representations take over.
Peter-West-Carey-Mexico chasing the sun sunscapes in mexico sunrise sunset (4)
Shore birds swim through the orange glow of morning on the Sea of Cortes.