El Andalous - Fishy Stories

 

Surrounded!

Now is the best time of year to snorkel because the water is so warm. There have been times when I’m sure the shallow water must be something like 33 degrees.

I’ve seen quite a lot of unusual shoals of fish this year. Even after all this time, I’m still amazed by underwater life. Sometimes, I think I get mistaken for a fish.

I was in my normal snorkeling spot when a whole load of small silversides (which always swim in shoals) circled round me. I’m used to swimming through them, even seeing a ball of them, or a line of them like a traffic jam, but this time they formed all around me, deliberately (well, so it seemed). They were so densely packed I couldn’t see anything else; the only empty spot was where I was, in the middle.

I think they thought I was a big harmless fish and if they circled me, they’d be safe, because then they’d look like a super huge fish made up of me and them. That’s why they gather in balls, and with me, they were a super-human sized ball.

The only problem was, I couldn’t get to see any other fish. In a way, it was quite scary as I was effectively blind to anything else around me and I wasn’t sure what to do. I did swim through them in the end, very slowly, although they kept on trying to recircle around me.

Another time, I was on the return portion of my daily swim when this yellow thing kept on shooting up before me. At first, I thought it was a leaf or algae of some kind that had come apart from the sea bed. But it kept on flashing in front of me. I stopped, and to my astonishment it was a fish!

I’d never seen this type of fish before (it turned out to be a juvenile golden trevally). It was a bright yellow with narrow black bands. Anyway, when I stopped, it started to play around my legs, swimming about and enjoying itself. I maneuvered myself so that my legs were floating out in front of me so that I could get a better look at it. It was so pretty! I spent a lot of time trying to get photos of it, but it particularly enjoyed darting behind my knees, where I couldn’t see it.

After a while, I decided I should probably swim back. I arrived back near El Andalous beach and stopped. The fish had followed me! Again, it darted round my legs, seeming to really enjoy being there. By this stage, I started to feel responsible for it. Did it think I was its mother? Once more, I spent rather a lot of time taking more photographs.

Finally, I had to go back on land. I waded back to shore, only to find that the fish was swimming round my feet, following me all the way. I got quite stressed as it couldn’t stay with me forever. It was still there even as I stepped ashore. I checked the sand to make sure it hadn’t beached itself, but somehow it had disappeared. I stared out for a while to see if it was around, but I never saw it again. I often think about it, even now.

I later read that they often swim beside sharks (!), turtles, snakes, to gain protection. So, it had chosen me as its protector. I feel a bit sorry for it as I wasn’t really much help and I grew fond of it. Hopefully it will grow up and be a fine fish swimming in the open sea!

My New Friend (Bonus Photo!)