Yo-Han has a cautionary tale that shows what can happen if diving ’ s ‘ don ’ t touch ’ rule is broken , albeit accidentally
UKDIVING YO-HANCHA
Mitts to yourself !
Yo-Han has a cautionary tale that shows what can happen if diving ’ s ‘ don ’ t touch ’ rule is broken , albeit accidentally
When I ’ m diving and photographing the life that I see underwater , I do my best not to touch or damage that very life , just leave bubbles and all that . However , there are times when nature chooses to interact with us .
Whether it ’ s a positive or negative experience often depends on what species is involved . I was fortunate to learn to dive in Australia , where , despite all the media frenzy around sharks , the animal the diving and snorkelling operators were most concerned about was the box jellyfish , a family of small cnidarians with stings so powerful they can even prove fatal for humans .
This always resulted in my friends and I wearing , in baking hot weather , brightly coloured stinger suits that covered us from wrist to ankle . We looked ridiculous , but none of us were stung . Possibly , due to complacency settling in , on other foreign trips , I haven ’ t been quite so diligent in what I ’ ve been wearing , so I ’ ve had the dubious honour of being stung by jellyfish on numerous occasions .
Such painful encounters have typically taken place overseas ; when I ’ m diving in the UK , I ’ m invariably wearing a mask and a hood . So I ’ m always happy to approach jellyfish here , especially lion ’ s manes , to take their photos . This had possibly lulled me to a false sense of security , believing that all that neoprene would protect me , not just from the cold but also from any stinging animals .
On this occasion , I was doing a dive off Silver Steps in Falmouth . It ’ s a beautiful shore dive with lots of life just waiting to be photographed . It also happened to be the day of the British and Irish Underwater Photography Competition , so I was feeling particularly excited about finding good underwater photographic opportunities .
So , when one presented itself in the form of a black-faced blenny , I set my sights and got into position by leaning over some kelp . The blenny was very obliging , which isn ’ t always the case with any species of fish , so the next few minutes were happily spent taking photos of it .
While occupied with the blenny , I felt something brush against my lip . I was concentrating on the task at hand , so I
“ I ’ ve never been tempted to get lip filler treatment , but I know what I ’ d look like if I did ”
thought nothing of it . I then felt a slight stinging sensation on my bottom lip . The discomfort was only slight , so I carried on taking photos . The pain got worse , so I brushed my lip and to my surprise I saw a tentacle from a snakelocks anemone float past my face .
That ’ s when I realised that the piece of kelp that I leaned over had a snakelocks anemone on it , which then floated up into my face ! I ’ ve never been tempted to get lip filler treatment , but I know what I ’ d look like if I did !
Of course , interactions with nature aren ’ t always painful . In fact , there are some I seek out . It ’ s no secret that I ’ m a massive fan of diving the Farne Islands , and it ’ s certainly not to dive the wrecks there . I love seeing the seals , and when they decide to interact with me it ’ s a thrill that never fades . This is because every seal interaction I ’ ve had has been on the seal ’ s terms . If it doesn ’ t want to be around me , it ’ s off ! When a playful pinniped chooses to stick around and nibble on my fins , it ’ s just brilliant ! �
Yo-Han ’ s black-faced blenny ( main image ) and the swollen lips he sustained while taking the photo
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