Beach Boys

This weekend just gone I had a friend over for a couple of days. We had a good relax down on the beach, a few nights out (one failed beach themed party. If you’re going to throw a beach themed party make sure a few of your customers show up in beach gear) and barbeque.

While down on the beach I got to do a few things that I don’t normally do on the beach, playing frisbee and bat’n’ball.

As much as me and the missus enjoying going down to the beach as much as possible we have very different views on what to do when down there. I get very bored quite quickly if I’m just left with a book or mp3 player so I’ll always be looking to do something active. Go for a swim, snorkelling, anything which passes the time away.

Now the missus she likes to work her tan. I don’t mind working on my tan either but if I stay still for too long then I get much much hotter then if I’m moving about. So she normally takes a book and ipod down to the beach. (I think the reasons for these is to distract her from me looking very bored when it’s too wavey/cold to do anything in the sea.)

So my friend being over and doing some extra activities was possibly one of the best times down on the beach I’ve had.  And despite not playing for a while I’m a damn good thrower of a frisbee. And a very good catcher.

Bat’n’ball, I’’m not so good at.

So now that my frisbee throwing partner has gone, whose going to keep me occupied on the beach?

Everyone knows, girls can’t throw/catch.

Speaking of the beach, that’s where I’ve just got from. I went down a little too early. The missus wanted to top up her tan while there were no crowds (read that as no one AT ALL) and it was a bit chilly to go snorkelling. But I still managed a little bit. Reminds me of when I first moved here.

Getting my feet wet

Very quite this morning

The striped white bream are still about

Some fish I can’t spot. Might have to go and relearn my fish species 

Looking forward to more snorkelling. Will have to make a day of it while the missus is away over the weekend. See if I can spot any wrasse, goby’s or shiney Cow Bream.

San Juan 09

Before the weekend I attended San Juan. It was quite a strange San Juan to say the least.

Things all started off quite well. Unlike last year were me and the missus spent the whole evening sat on our own, this year we knew people and got to have a bit more fun.
After some time on the beach I went for a little walk, spotted some other friends and doubled the size of our party.
Things were going quite well. The main problem at the beginning of the night was the DJ failed to show up and we didn’t have any music. In fact I didn’t hear much music this year on the beach. More of a fact is that that the beach seemed less busy then last year.
Also I discovered that this years effigy that was to be burnt was of a flame. A flame!? Who burns a flame effigy?
Things took a slight change for the worse at midnight. Just as the fireworks were set to go off and the time when everyone jumps in the sea to wash away evil spirits, two friends of mine and Sams, who are also a couple decide to split. This meant that most of the girls in our original group, being more then slightly drunk disappeared angry/teary/sick for some time.
This meant that my big moment of diving in the sea at midnight and getting more then 6 foot wetter* then last year went unnoticed and unphotographed. Sorry.

Anyways, here are some early photos from a very quiet, sociable, beach party.

Just arrived

Have a nice day

Being prepared is the key

When two become one

Killing time

Parties carry on until dark

Like I mentioned, unfortunately there are no photos of everyone in the sea as I splashing about and the missus was with an upset friend, but imagine me in this photo but a litter wetter and you get the idea.

How I looked before getting wet

Next year I think I’m going to head to one of the other beaches as I hear they have some music and DJ's there.

Here is the slidey show. [source]

*Also I felt quite ill with a cold and sore throat for the next few days.

Woosh zoom

I’ve mentioned on here before that there are some strange flying vehicles that I see around here. Yesterday I heard a very strange helicopter propeller noise.

I had a quick look outside and saw this

What appears to be a mini helicopter 

It hovered around for a bit and I got a better shot and on closer inspection it looks like a go-kart-esque helicpter

Idea for the next Mario Kart perhaps? 

It looks like the helicopter forgot it’s roof. You can even see the pilots and passengers heads.

So a little while later I heard an even louder helicopter noise. I need to check if it was “Dia de Costa Helicopter” or something?

This time when I looked I saw this monster

Looks a bit like Airwolf! 

Things then got a little heated and there was a helicopter stand off. Or chopper off. Or propeller off.

“Get outta my airspace Big Guy!”

I really wish that I had tracked and zoomed on that last photo a bit better.

Soon after that both ‘copters disappeared and I went back to making a den for Liz Lemon.

Dedication is what you need

I found this photo on my computer the other day.

I had left to go pick up the missus from work. I was a tad too early so headed down to the Balcon to kill some time. I spotted this kid digging a hole.

Now most children will dig a small hole, big enough to fill up a few sandcastles, this kid on the other hand had his mind set that he was going one step beyond.

You may need to click for bigger image

There haven't been that many kids with this kind of dedication--or patience. I mean he is shoulder deep in a hole. I wish there where more kids like this. Digging GIANT holes is what the beach is for.

That and donkey races.

Hey there mister happy squid, you move so psychedelically

...You hypnotize with your magic dance all the animals in the sea
For sure*

The other day when snorkeling I spotted a few large goby's all hanging out together so I tried to get a photo but before I could in the corner of my eye I spotted this octopus....

"Check out my magic dance."

This is by far the bestest thing I have seen in the sea so far and probably will be very hard to beat.

Of course I couldn't just leave after one photo so I spent the next 15~20 minutes making this guy feel like a celeb.


You might be able to spot his Black Sea Urchin friend too.

There are a few things that I still would like to see in the sea. Anything with a shell, crab, lobster, etc and a sea horse.
But for now I'm made up with spotting my octopus.

My NEW Spain hobbies are so much more fun then my old English ones.

*Lyrics from Little Yellow Spider. [Video]

Plenty more fish in the sea

Since my last trip in the sea a few weeks back I've been doing a bit more snorkeling with my camera.

I've seen quite a lot of these Striped White Bream now. They're always the same size fish and group. It's almost like the same shoal comes to the same area of the beach everyday. I can still some good photos of them though.

1. P8082050, 2. P8082034, 3. P8082047, 4. P8082039, 5. P8082037, 6. P8082041

But I was starting to get a little restless. I was always happy to be able to swim around withe these fish but what I really wanted was something a little more. So I started to swim around a bit near to the beach where there are some fallen rocks -and having told the missus that I will be very careful as she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on me from where she was- I set off.

And BOY did I have a great time.

Just swimming out to the rocks the sea floor was getting my hopes up. I seen small shoals of small fish zipping by, some anemone (the weird sea plants).

"Weeeeeeeeeee"

Then I got up close to the rock and spotted some fish I had seen alot of, only this time they were about 5 or 6 times bigger -the size of dinner plates. Unfortunately the photos don't bring out the size.

"Hey guys, I think someone is on to us"

But apart from seeing giant sized version of fish I have already spotted I also seen some new ones,
These tiny little fish I think are the culprits that kept making the popping noise. Kind of like the popping-candy you used to be able to buy that popped in your mouth. It was either them or a very hungry fat kid following me.

"Snap, crackle, pop"

Then there where these long pencil like fish. I haven't a clue what they are called.

Can you help name them?

There were zebra sea bream

"What's the time Mister Wolf?"

And cow bream

"Mooooooo"

A few different species of gobys. Actually I haven't a clue in this photo, they all might be the same species. They look different to me though.

The least racial fish in the sea

This colourful guy, what I don't know the species of. I think he might be a baby Ornate Wrasse.

"Eating some rocks nom nom nom"

And this large Ornate Wrasse, which I have a few pictures of.

This fish is my favourite fish I've spotted so far since I started snorkeling. After seeing thousands of grey fish it was great to see this colourful character.
This photograph was taken on a different day to some of the ones above. I had originally left the camera on the beach as I hadn't charged it the night before and the missus had used it taking some of her own photos (see below). When I spotted this guy having been snorkeling for about an hour I swam back as fast -and as out of breath- as I could. I think I managed about 1/4 mph top speed. It felt like the swim took forever. And swimming back with the camera just as long. Luckily fo me he was still hanging out at the same crop of rock.

I even spotted mini version's of the most popular fish. They kept swimming at me. Maybe they thought I was protection. But am I glad I had on my new small and tight swimming trunks on otherwise the fish would of swam up my shorts.

"When I grow older I want to be a shark."

In fact there have been so many fish the last few visits that even the missus got to take some good photos and she never ventures out in waters deeper then her waist. So these photgraphs are extra special considering her freakish phobia of fish. Well done pinkosa.


When I had finished all my snorkeling I made a visit to the diving centre. I'm trying to figure out whether fins/flippers would be helpful to me or a hindrance? I don't tend to swim for long distacnes, just mainly diving and I'm working out if they are worth the purchase?
But while there I got to see a leaflet with all the fish in the area, this is why I have been able to name most of them. And also I was told that the centre do snorkeling trips, were they take out groups of people to different areas of a Sea Nature Park and snorkel. Normally you wouldn't be able to snorkel there but they have permission too. This I can't wait to do.
But I need one more test dive trying to sort out some problems with my camera, namely image quality and macro mode.

But I do have a dozen or so great photos that I want to share. But I'll save them for next time. But if your bored check out some of my underwater adventures.

A short path to inevitable

Before moving to Spain I got myself a few pairs of beach shorts. I figured I'd try and be cool and hip and hit the beach/pool in some surfer shorts.
Now it's been a few weeks and I've gotten myself a bit of an all over tan.

Well not quite all over. I now have white bits that extend down my thighs, from my waist to just above my knees. When I've been getting changed or having a shower it sometimes looks like I still have some ridiculously white shorts on.
Which has given me a bit of a image issue. Although I'm not a major fan of hitting the beach and laying in the sun for 12 hours, it's still something that I'd like to resolve.

So I tried wearing my swimming pool shorts a little more. They're much shorter but not quite short enough.

Now I've bought myself some smaller shorts. They're about the size of boxer shorts. Actually I think most of my boxer shorts are longer.
The first problem I have is now I have tanned shins, small shorts and in between bright white thighs. Something I'm going to have to work on now.

The BIG problem though is I'm going to get to the stage where I start to think that even these tiny shorts are giving me too much white bits.
So next I'll be changing to Speedos and walking around the beach in just them.

Which is eventually going to lead to the man-thong. It's inevitable. The Path to the Thong has started.

And that's a shame, as I thought that I would at least be in my 30's before I started walking around the beach in a thong.

I do have picture's but I think the mental image is more then you can take.

Weird Pictures/Arpeggi

As mentioned earlier, I have my underwater camera back and got chance to take it snorkeling.
Here are some of my favourite photo's

At first all I was spotting was these guys for about 15/20 minutes.

It's quite hard to photograph fish when the current is pushing them, you and your hand about.

But then I spotted these guys

There were two of them.

I followed these two fish for a few seconds, turned around and found myself in a massive shoal of fish

I don't think I'll do a Fish Spot like Lizard Spot, as there were just too many.


Fish seem to live in perfect harmony.


And I just kept seeing more...


And more...


And more still.


But some fish let me get close ups of them.

And after swimming amongst the shoal for about 30 minutes I thought I spotted some old friends

Hey you guys.


But then all the fish got a little bored and headed somewhere else.

You should really check out this set, it's one of my favourites. [LINK|Fish Set Slide Show]
Not bad for my first go.

I was a little worried at first that I might get bored photographing the same three kinds of fish. This is all I've seen since being here. But I've been tipped off that there is an area of coast line abot 15/20 minutes away that is treated as a underwater National Park. They have Moon/Sun Fish, various eels, octopus and even some predatory fish (after little fish I hope and not me). And I'm going the first opportunity I get, ie when the missus is off work.
Can't wait.

The Deep Blue

Well I have my underwater camera back....finally. Plus I've had the chance to test it out in the pool and the sea. And I have plenty of very good photos.

But I still have a few days in "Holiday Mode" as the missus parent's are still here, so here is a preview.


Having a swim in the sea.

Red Flag day

All of the times I have been down to the beach there has always been a Green Safety Flag up on the lifeguards seats. It's always been interesting to see what conditions you need for a red flag?

Then the other weekend when down the beach with my mum and niece I went for a swim out to the buoys (I really need to find out how far these ones are) and as I was swimming out there was a Sea Mist coming inland.

By time I got to the bouys and turned around I could hardly see the beach as the mist was so dense and everywhere. It was pretty freaky.

By time I had got back to land the fog was just rolling up the beach slowly, it looked, for want of a better word, sweet!

I then looked and noticed that I couldn't see the buoys I had swam too. In fact I couldn't see much of the sea.

Then I could over here a lot of chatter on the life guards radios and the one stationed right behind us was a lot more alert and after a few minutes put up a red flag.

So me and Megan celebrated.


Good bye Green Flag


Hello Red


The reason for the Red Flag


In the middle

And my favourite photo

Hard day at work?


Sea Mist

The missus was told that this happens quite often. We were shocked by this as I had never seen it before and neither had the missus and she has visited quite a lot before we moved.
But our tipster was right. It's already happened three more times in this week alone, this morning it was very dense, I could only just about make out the buildings across the road.

Next is a Double Red Flag. I'm guessing I need a swarm of man-eating jellyfish for this....fingers crossed.

Tips for posing on the Beach

Here is my list of tips for all you due a vacation to the beach this summer.


Always try to look like you are looking at something REALLY far away. (Bonus casually points if you bite your nails)


Try not to let your camera person drink too much and collapse


Drinking beer on the Beach is pretty mansculine. Do it!


Standing this camp inbetween swigs is not advised.


Flexing muscles is good not just for passerbys but for those photos to hang on the walls too.

Finally, Big Warning now. Here is the one pose you should never, NEVER, adopt while on the Beach.
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I call this 'The Lost-Camp-Duck.'
And I totally meant to do this pose just to prove a point....ahem.