Laid out in front of us, the crustaceans take up positions in their own specialised niches, matched perfectly with their anatomy. A large lobster reverse parks into a drainage tube shuffling back and forth, pincers first. Edible crabs walk into their chalky pockets and hide in sideways cracks in crumbly rocks. Sandy swimming crabs live up to their name, and under the rocks we find shore crabs and a squat lobster.
Velvet swimming crabs need no nook, they are familiar to us from crab fishing trips with a drop net, caught only at the very far end of the pier. They like deeper water and are found in rock pools on the lowest tides.
The shannies are familiar from low tide rambles and here their curiosity bounces them out of hag stone holes. It’ s said that only good things can pass through a hag stone, so shannies have become a sign of good fortune to us, and a string of holey pebbles hangs outside our home.
There are three species of wrasse on this stretch of coast and today we are lucky to spot the more elusive and smaller goldsinny wrasse lurking close to the weed.
The pipe is a foothold for plant and animal life
Common prawns sit with painted gobies among the ripple-ice-cream-coloured dahlia anemones and sponges of purple and orange hue.
The lowered light of a setting sun casts light that stone-skims across the surface, lighting our splashes sideways with hues of orange and purple. This is our sundial, calling time to return to the shore. As
payment to the sea in kind, I pick up a crumpled coke can and lead weight in tangled line. We emerge from the brine in time to just catch Dave’ s fish bar, snatching a salty last order of perfect chips with a sweet ketchup dip on the side. �
■ The author would like to thank Dawn Watson for her help with this article.
Corkwing wrasse shows off its colours
The resident shanny
Section of weedcovered pipe
About the author
Adam Curtis is a member of Kingston and Elmbridge Snorkellers Club, but recently moved to North Norfolk, where he loves to explore the coast with his family. This piece about the Sheringham Snorkel Trail was written during a‘ Creative Writing in Nature’ workshop hosted by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The trail is located on the east side of town on the promenade.
Velvet swimming crab, confident in the open
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