Bring in the lobster pots, Im coming home with crabs.

I learnt to snorkel as a fish-loving child while on my family holiday in Minorca. I remember clinging onto my dad’s hand as I felt a strange sensation of vertigo while watching shoals of sea bream 40 metres below me in the crystal clear waters around Cala galdana. That holiday I went on to see a shark-shaped dogfish (Shock! Ahh Help! No, panic over he’s not coming to eat me), an octopus, and countless other beasties living in amongst the rocks of the shoreline.

Snorkelling has remained a great favourite of mine, but only on holidays in the tropics where the water is warm (and the DVDs are copied). Back in England I always assumed that the sea would be too cold, the water too cloudy, or that the standard of marine beasties on offer would not be up to scratch.

I was wrong.

On Thursday night I went to Wembury with Big J. We arrived, donned our neoprene, and swam out from the beach- our fins enabling thorpedo-like speed through the shallows. The cold on my head seemed severe at first, but then I started to see some fish and I soon forgot about it. Here I was in England, looking at brightly coloured wrasse, shoals of sandeel, gar fish, pollack, mackerel and at least 3 other species that I didn’t recognise. It was amazing.

Big J found a huge edible crab living under a ledge. I dived down and clung to the rocks, the air being the only part of my body wanting to get back to the surface. I watched the crab for a bit, then realised how peaceful it was under the water. Behind me a field of seaweed sloshed forwards and backwards as the waves passed overhead. The rhythm was hypnotic, there was so much seaweed moving together in perfect unison that it made the exposed rocks appear like they were the things moving. I enjoyed confusing my brain and I wished I could hold my breath forever, but quickly realised I couldn’t. We swam on and saw loads of spider crabs, which weren’t scary, despite their large size and likeness of giant spiders. They were so easy to catch that I wondered if they'd make good eating. An investigation of a Lobster Pot showed me my first English Lobster that wasn’t in a restaurant and I was tempted to free her, but didn’t.

We drove home and wondered at the possibilities.