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.

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.

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.

MAJOR Lizard Spot Update: Cockroach Edition

So Lizard Spot has had a bit of a quiet time lately. That doesn't mean that I'm still having the same problems of spotting them. The opposite in fact, I've spotted load's over the last few days. So much so that I'm going to start getting picky over what I count and don't count.

Also as about 99.9% of homes in Nerja are white some photos may look to you like they are duplicates, but you'll have to trust I wouldn't pull that stunt. (If you still don't believe me check out the time stamps)
Here are a few I wont be including.

These guys were too fast for me.


These guys decided they were too shy.

So it turns out that I've been looking for lizards in all the wrong places. Well not the wrong places, just the wrong times. The missus first started to spot them a few days ago but now we both know that lizards are far much easier to spot at night.

Wednesday 25 June

Can you spot this guy? Here is a clue 'X marks the spot.'


Or can you spot this one?


"Who you looking at?"
Photo2 Photo3


Almost the King of the Castle
Photo2 Photo3

Also spotted on our walk home which made the missus jump out of her skin was this guy.

It "nearly ran up her leg," so now she has adopted a walk of lifting her legs up high when walking at night.
Quite amusing really....

Thursday 26 June

Not the best at hide and seek, but points for imagination.


Lizard on Blonde

Friday 27 June

Just the one today. Although we had been out late so it's far past this little guys bed time.

Saturday 28 June

"Lies, lies from tiny eyes."

And finally, spotted by the missus so she gets full credit for this monster.

By far the biggest lizard we've spotted since being here.

There were many more that I've not included due to bad photos. Plus there were some I couldn't photograph for being too slow. Special mention goes out to the White Lizard. This lizard has scared the missus a little bit as it almost completely blended in with the white walls so looked really weird for a lizard.

So that brings Lizard Count now to
Lizard Spot Count:23

Also my waterproof camera is due back in a few days. I'm unsure what to do with Fish Spot as the last few times I've been snorkeling I've been swimming with massive numbers of fish in large shoals, up to a hundred I'd guess. And they aren't as scared of me as lizards are. So I don't want Fish Spot Count get astronomically high within a few days. Plus I'd never count them. I'll just wait and see how good the photos come out on the camera.

Auto Post Lizard Spot: Missus Credit

If your reading this then that means I'm not back from the Bull Run for whatever reason....*

So it turns out after a few weeks of being disappointed the missus isn't totally rubbish at spotting lizards, she is quite good at it.
She even has an advance skill at spotting them in the dark, something I haven't done yet.

So this Lizard Spot is creditted to the missus, well done


Lizard Spot Count: 14

In other news I got me a snorkel

And I've already spotted loads of fish. Even one big fish. Like the size of fully grown Koi Carps, except not as orange.
And I've been told my waterproof camera has been fixed and should be making it's way to me at the end of the month.
So next we will have Fish Spot along with Lizard Spot.

* This isn't really a magical post. I am in fact back from the Bull Run. All went well, I'll tell you more about it soon. I'm just sorting out some photos.