74-Year-Old Creates Daily Beach Art That Tide Washes Away

Every morning at dawn, 74-year-old Mal Leckie walks onto Coolangatta Beach with a rake and transforms the sand into intricate artwork that will vanish within hours.

The former art teacher from Western Australia lost his ability to surf after a COVID infection damaged his inner ear and destroyed his balance. Fifty years of riding waves came to an abrupt end, leaving a painful gap in his daily routine.

But that loss became an unexpected gift. While taking photos of a friend practicing with sound bowls on the beach, Mal carved patterns into the sand to improve the shot. The simple act sparked something deeper.

Now he spends an hour each morning creating swirling mandalas and geometric patterns across the shoreline. His only tools are a rake and his imagination. His only canvas is the wet sand left by receding tides.

When beachgoers ask what the designs mean, Mal jokes that he's signaling spaceships. The truth is simpler: he's learned to create beauty without attachment. Each piece disappears as the tide returns, and that impermanence has become the point.

"Teaching myself to let things go has proved to be really calming generally in my life," Mal says. "If you can learn to lose this every day and apply it to other areas, life gets a lot easier."

His morning ritual has connected him with others who rise before the sun. Carmel Glenane has spent 25 years playing crystal singing bowls on the same beach, and now she and Mal work near each other, creating separate but complementary moments of calm.

Sunny's Take

What makes Mal's story so moving isn't just the art itself but what it represents. He could have mourned the loss of surfing forever. Instead, he found a practice that honors the same principles: showing up, being present, and accepting what you cannot control.

Early risers stop to photograph his work, sharing it with friends and marveling at the dedication required to create something knowing it will disappear. But that's exactly what gives it meaning. The art exists fully in the moment, demanding nothing from the future.

At 74, Mal has discovered that the secret to moving forward isn't holding tighter but learning when to let go.