Blue zone

It’s not Jacques Cousteau to be sure. But hubble bubbling along with snorkel and mask has been good fun. Can’t remember when I last did it.

Even in the maximal human trampling zone the sea is big and provides its own clean up crew. I’ve seen barbels tickling the sand ripples, a tiny beautifully camouflaged fish that looks like the sandy bottom and just sinks into it and is gone, a fish with a bright blue tail band pottering over the gathered detritus, bigger beautiful parrot fish hardly visible in the flickering water mouthing up little sticks and then more classic fish fish swimming seven strong, one flashing her sides on the bottom, like a spawning feint.

I followed them, my breath gurgling in the schnorkel. And then a further out a barrel jelly fish - the lung of the sea in Italian - pushing out to sea with me in her way. Pulsing horizontally. A hard blue filigreed band round its dome and four jelly protuberances that look like - what - iced white berries. Which would be putting it diplomatically. I followed as she drew me into the darker deeper turquoise sea.

Later I read about how jelly fish reproduce - the female sheds an embryo which is somehow fertilised at sea. This becomes a larva and falls to the sea floor and roots itself in the sand and becomes a sort of tower that gives off tiny jellyfish called ephyra (I think). I dove down to a stick protruding from the sand but it was resistant and flexible - a jelly fish strobilla.

Here on the beach turtles haul up to lay eggs. A nest all carefully fenced off was recently vandalised.


It’s tough. People want the sea to play in, rejuvenate, immerse, relax, cool off and just to be in. The limits of the spiagge libere - free bathing- is a real issue. Something like 50% of the prime coast is serried ranks of ombrellone from Easter to October.

It has its advantages if you have the money and it reflects class, country and regional distinctions impeccably. It also strangely throws people into unexpected proximities- like a sort of holiday national service with all the subtleties of rank and regiment. But we’ve always had an interesting conversation or two. Even meals together.

(Apologies I’ve chopped and changed this entry beyond recognition.)

The photo is from the portfolio della Boss and hacked around my moi.