Monday 28 May 2012

The march of the spider crabs

It was a blistering day, with limpid sea, and we went on a veritable nature trail on our swim from the mouth of the Yealm to Cellars Beach. We scrambled down from the coastpath, boiling in our wetsuits, to Greylake Cove where turquoise lagoons beckoned. In the first pool we saw a spider crab; this is the time of year they come inshore to breed. As we swam in and out of the lagoons along the coast we saw many different types of fish, from tiny silver ones in massive shoals, to what looked like wrasse; brown, pink and blue ones. There were more spider crabs, and the seaweed was simply beautiful, with rays of sun glittering through it. We swam through forests of the stuff, letting it caress our faces. It felt like snuggling up to a mermaid.

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