YO-HANCHA
Where ’ s Wally ?
Yo-Han Cha visited the polar escapee known as Wally the Walrus while on a summer dive trip to the Isles of Scilly
There ’ s usually a disconnect between the news and real life . I read or watch the news with varying degrees of interest , but seldom do I get the chance of witnessing it first-hand . I first read about Wally the Walrus when he first popped up in Ireland . Between work and the Euros ( Yes sir , I can boogie !) I had missed his Welsh and Spanish stop overs and the next thing I knew he was in France , probably to try some of those Breton crepes .
Just as my dive club and I were about to embark on a much-anticipated pandemicdelayed trip to the Scillies , I noticed that he had been sighted there , but on a different island to the one we were staying . We joked about the possibility of seeing a walrus underwater and how scared we ’ d be to come face-to-face with Wally truly in his element , tusks gleaming as he advanced on us .
I ’ d still have tried to get a photo , but I ’ d have needed to wash out the inside of my drysuit afterwards !
Then on the third morning of the trip I noticed that a couple of my fellow divers weren ’ t kitting-up as usual , but were staring into the harbour with a pair of binoculars . I asked what they were looking at , “ On the orange RIB – Wally !” Cue everyone delaying their dive preparations to take some long-distance paparazzi snaps of Wally on their phones .
Tides don ’ t wait for walruses so Dave McBride , our skipper , prised us away from our paparazzi duties . But while we were on our first dive the harbour authorities decided to tow Wally out of the harbour and tied the orange RIB to a buoy just outside of it . We then spend a lovely surface interval Wally watching , taking care not to disturb him .
Wally chose to remain in the orange RIB until our last day on the Scillies , where , after upturning some smaller boats , he decided to lay up on the ambulance boat . His presence was the subject of numerous discussions , especially as he remained on the same orange RIB for four days . What ’ s he doing here ? Did he just get lost ? How will he get back home ? Why is he not moving ? Is he wedged in ? Should they let down one of the tubes to help him out ? Does he need help ? Will he starve to death ? Is there enough food for him in the seas around the Scillies ?
Some of our queries were answered when Dave made a call to British Divers Marine Life Rescue and was assured that
walruses can lay up for three or four days at a time and not to worry .
At the time of writing , he ’ s still wreaking havoc in the Scillies , sinking and damaging the little inflatables yacht owners use to get to their vessels . It like a fat bloke trying to get on a swimming pool lilo . Understandably , the authorities are trying to think of ways of moving him on .
But , as exciting as it was to see a walrus in the wild , why is he so far south from home ? Is there an environmental reason , or is this a just a one-off , navigationally challenged walrus ? Perhaps he has adapted to local food sources , and has grown fond of Scillonian scallops .
Wally , whatever the reason for your inflatable-stabbing visit , I hope you find your way home safe and well . �
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