Summer is the time to catch up on quality time with your child. Forget that barrage of brochures for organised summer clubs, schools and other tantalising enrolments that promise to keep your idle child out of your hair. Instead, carve out some personalised time this summer to discover the delights of our shallow, sandy shores with your family.
Not only does the beach come without a price tag, but it also presents the perfect opportunity to rescue your child’s brain from falling into a summer stupor.
Different shores will have their own denizens, so have a few favourites and do the rounds. Rather than lounge on the beach while your child plays in the shallows, unleash your inner scientist together. Kit yourselves out with swim mask, snorkel pipe and, if you like, flippers.
Add a child’s underwater camera to that and your hobby will go home with you after you shake off the sand.
When choosing sunscreen, go for a mineral-based one that doesn’t have nano-particles. You can surf “eco-friendly sunscreen” to make sure you’re making an informed choice that keeps you and the sea safe from harmful chemicals.
Blue runners chase a shoal of European anchovy. Photo: Victor FalzonLayers of life
Sandy beaches may seem pretty low on sea life when compared to our rocky shores, but think in “layers” instead of rocky profile. A sea animal that’s equipped for speed will roam the open sea, singly or in low numbers, suddenly accelerating in bursts of speed as it changes direction in search of prey.
Younger individuals of predator fishes like amberjack or blue runner will often hang around in sandy bays, looking for shoals of anchovy or sand smelt.
Learn to spot the sudden appearance of the silver-tinged dark blue sides of the blue runner or the distinctive head stripe of the amberjack. Getting a good snapshot of these bay sprinters is high on bonus points in the marine photographer’s list.
Notice the shape of the fish you see in shoals in the open water, closer to the surface. Their streamlined, silvery sides flash past if you reach out to them, but hang indolently close to the surface if you keep a respectable distance. Approach slowly and they will allow a decent photo shoot.
Refresh your child’s memory of food chains, and notice how groups of mullets seem to be “eating” water near the surface. They are actually hoovering up plankton: millimetre-sized plants or animals that fuel the marine web of life.
High five
A sand sea star in perfect camouflage with the sandy bottom. Photo: Desirée FalzonIf your children are under 12, stick to shallow water and explore the sandy bottom from above. You may be able to make out the sea star. There’s something magical about finding a starfish, even if it’s the well-camouflaged greyish sand sea star most commonly found in sandy bays like Mellieħa Bay. If you have an older child, you may train nose pinching and equalising ear pressure to get a closer look at the next layer.
But before you set your sights on the sandy bottom, check the ropes marking the swimmer’s zone for goose barnacles. Try to approach this quirky relative of the crab without touching the rope and you might catch it with its feathery arms out.
Devilishly difficult to photograph, barnacles make pretty pictures, rather like a hand happily high-fiving. Since their arms are filter feeding plankton from the water, they latch on to objects in a current. Challenge yourselves to getting a good snapshot with no camera shake for the album.
Desirée Falzon is a naturalist and field teacher with BirdLife Malta.