A few weeks ago, whilst working in the Canthed Centre at Caswell, Ben found a seal pup on the beach. It was amazingly well camouflaged in the stones, with most people walking on the beach completely unaware it was even there.
Tag Archives: seeking saltwater
Seeking Salt Water- Why We Love The California Brown Pelican
Following the stateside adventures of the Surfability UK CIC coaches and elite surfers to La Jolla, California for the 2018 STANCE ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship in December, the team here at HQ have become quite fascinated with the California Brown Pelican.
Secrets of the Sand
Seeking Saltwater Sand Week
Composed mainly of quartz, feldspar and mica, sand is the product of many finely ground rocks. The colour of sand is determined by its component rocks and can vary from near black to pink and yellow.
Sand is constantly being moved by the water of rivers and seas. Constructive swells bring sand to the shore and destructive swells take it away.
Acting as a veritable microclimate, sand is also home to a wide range of living organisms. Crabs, clams and beach hoppers are but a few of the more popular residents. Not every sand dweller is as popular though. Inhabitants such as the weever fish are cursed by surfers up and down the British shores for their stings.
Who knew sand had so many secrets? Join us again next week for more insights into the salt world beneath your surf boards.
Seaweed- Super Stinky or Supercool?
Seeking Saltwater- Seaweed Week
Now, I can’t speak for anyone else but one of my surfing pet peeves is getting tangled in seaweed. Especially when I wipe out. The sensation of its slippery stipe and the weight of it wrapped around my ankles…well it just irks me!
Fortunately, seaweed contributes so much more to the world than a selection of sour-faced surfers.
Love it or loathe it, the scent of seaweed is intimately intertwined with our associations of the sea. Whether you approach from the gravel of a car park, the sways of grassland or the dust of sandy dunes, the smell of seaweed will always be waiting you.
Acting as a source of food, shelter and protection for an abundance of marine life, the virtues of seaweed can seem limitless. Not only is it an integral part of the ocean’s ecosystem, seaweed also has a lot to offer humans.
Rich in iron, calcium, vitamin D and iodine, seaweed is a nutritious and readily available human food. In fact, the name for seaweed actually translates as sea vegetable in other cultures. With a huge range of pleasantly sweet and edible varieties, consumption of seaweed is particularly popular in Japan and other parts of Asia. And acting as the source of a fantastic gut healing prebiotic to boot, it’s not surprising that seaweed is increasingly being referred to as a superfood!
So, the next time you find yourself in a fight with a frond, try to take a deep breath and remember how amazing our favourite sea vegetable really is! Without it, the ocean wouldn’t be the place we know and love.