Kirsty Andrews turns her gaze to the world of the super-tiny , which is both a test of diving ability and a buddy ’ s patience
It ’ s a small world
Kirsty Andrews turns her gaze to the world of the super-tiny , which is both a test of diving ability and a buddy ’ s patience
Jewel anemones used to be the height of fashion among underwater photographers and small-thingslovers , and then one day someone spotted a miniature crustacean , an amphipod , waving cheerily from between the polyps . Gradually , we realised that these industrious little beings were everywhere , making the fingertipsized jewels look rather large by comparison . Then there was a gangly skeleton shrimp wafting its boxing-glove arms in between the polyps with a veritable nursery of young ’ uns clambering all over it . This year , my buddy saw both at once and spent a happy few minutes watching the fascinating interactions between the crustaceans : I won ’ t reveal the details but it was a small-scale drama .
The first time I saw a skeleton shrimp I fear I ’ d already caused its demise : surfacing from a wreck dive in Scapa Flow after innocently hanging out by the shot line for a few minutes on my way up , the little blighters managed to affix themselves all over my drysuit . With those tenacious claws , picking them off was a challenge . I definitely prefer to admire them underwater .
Safety stops can be a good time to look for the small stuff : the fun of the dive isn ’ t yet over , oh no . Drifting past , maybe there ’ s a hitchhiking crustacean or a juvenile fish hiding on or in a jellyfish , or a larval shrimp doing cartwheels with boundless energy . On a week ’ s diving on the North coast of Scotland , the only time I ’ ve ever seen them , the top metre or so of water was sprinkled with tiny pteropods . They looked like bobbing pinheads until they decided to move and opened up wings , becoming golden snitches [ Harry Potter editor : the enchanted golden balls used in the game Quidditch ]. What a treat to see .
It has got to a point now where I see a tiny colourful dot , on a hydroid for example , and although I can ’ t make out details with the naked eye , I take a photo anyway and if I zoom in on my screen later , I may discover something fascinating ! Or nothing …
This may reflect badly on my deteriorating eyesight - still 20:20 in my mind - or is it more that I ’ m an underwater Alice , peering through the looking glass , and as I stare closely , this tiny world opens up and reveals its treasures ? Perhaps I should drink a potion and be transported to the size of sea slug … or talking of glass , maybe I could carry a magnifying one around with me , Sherlock-Holmes-style . I have seen it done underwater and I may have scoffed a little at the time , but now I start to see the appeal .
Have I captured your imagination ? Will you look more closely on your next dive , and see what miniature mysteries are unfolding on your favourite dive site ? Divers tend to fall into two camps on this : some swim by at such a pace that the details don ’ t make even a glancing impression : they do manage to circumnavigate the site though . Or there ’ s the fascinated observer who can lose track of the seconds and minutes just watching the goings-on in a square centimetre . I think you know which one I am : which are you ? �
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