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Gherkins, lemons and lobsters: the best rock pooling I've ever had!
Posted by Graeme Lyons , Wednesday, 29 March 2017 18:12
Last night was the biggest low tide of the year and a few of us (Evan Jones, Tony Davis and Oli Froom) decided to go and have a look at the Pound at Holywell, Eastbourne as in January we found a sea slug there and I was taken by how rich and easy to work it was. It was amazing! I don't even know where to start. Maybe with the star of the show above. It's not too hard to guess what it is but I just love this photo taken by Oli.
Every rock we turned over seemed to have a Shanny or a Rock Goby under, like this stunning male. We did see one Tompot Blenny but I didn't even get around to photographing that one.
We saw all manner of weird and wonderful worms including bootstrap worms which I have never seen before. Then Evan turned a rock over and I couldn't believe what I was looking at!
We believe this huge (15 cm) 'thing' is a Sea Gherkin Pawsonia saxicola. It's way east of its known distribution but we don't think there is anything else it can be. It retracted when we put it in the tray rather than unfurling its tentacles. Quite disgusting. I love it!
Then Evan struck gold again with as you've guest it, my first ever Lobster!!!
Tony had more luck picking it up than me as it nipped me straight away much to his amusement. Here it is next to a Squat Lobster. This is an unbelievable beautiful animal.
And the Squat Lobster too.
And Oli's tail shot again as it's so great!
Under the same rock as the Lobster, Evan turned up a Yellow-plumed Sea-slug Berthella plumula!!! Another new one for me and quite uncommon.
Then Evan...wait a minute, if you're thinking, why are the other three of you not turning anything up, you'd be kinda right. Evan was a total machine and we were left in wonder at his finds to the point that he had turned up the next mega before we had finished photographing the last. Such as these mating Sea Lemons Archidoris pseudoargus, yet another type of sea slug!!!
We reached the point at which the Pound was draining out to sea through a series of weirs. We are in the kelp zone here, a zone only revealed at very low tides.
Actually I didn't need to find anything as I had an 'Evan on a stick' as can be seen in the photo below.
Then Evan on a stick found yet another exciting species, this Snapping Prawn! Sadly missing its claws.
It was quite simply the most mind-blowingly awesome rock-pooling I've ever had! A massive thank you to Evan for finding...EVERYTHING! So much so that I rushed down to Seaford Head before my meeting in the morning to get another fix but it wasn't anywhere near as good. These Dahlia Anemones though were stunning!
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