Hermit crabs
My husband works in the merchant navy and is frequently away. I was extremely fortunate to have the chance to fly to the Maldives to meet him as he disembarked from his ship. We spent an amazing five days relaxing in paradise.
Well, I really can’t spend 5 days doing nothing at all. So snorkelling trips were booked. Dolphins at sunset and, well, and me wandering around our little island with my cameras. I got the nickname of the lady with the big cameras. I have so many photographs from this short time away that I will most likely do several blogs from my different experiences.
On holiday I generally wake early, much to my husband’s disgust, I just want to fit as much as possible in each and every day. Taking my cameras out that early means that I get the chance to catch the wildlife at sunrise before the other tourists wake and I frequently had the beaches to myself.
It did really feel like I was on the island alone at that hour and I certainly did see some amazing things in our little lagoon. A turtle, a squid and a couple of octopi all of which, I swear were watching me watching and photographing them. A few little reef sharks (yes, sharks in the lagoon!) paddling with these small fish was one of the many unforgettable experiences of the holiday. There were a couple of tropical birds, who disappointingly were simply black and not exotically painted in bright pinks and blues.
Early morning and at dusk there were flying foxes, rather large bats, that were actually not scary at all but really rather cute. They had a favourite tree in the centre of the island where they would roost during the hot day. We would pass them on the way to the restaurant for breakfast and would stop and watch them settle down for the day. One morning we watched as ‘mum’ and child decided that the branch that they’d chosen was not suitable. They climbed along the branch and over ‘dad’ who was not impressed about being disturbed before settling further into the tree. His annoyed chattering continued long after they had passed him by.
First thing in the morning the beach was always covered with tiny, tiny tracks. Some obviously sea birds, while others not quite so easy to identify. It was several days before I found out what made them. These little hermit crabs are absolutely tiny and the beach was frequently covered with their little footprints. These two were spotted checking out each other’s houses just in case there was a trade to be made. To me though they looked like they were greeting each other like old friends with hugs and touches. I love their pale pink colour and pastel shell. It complements the beautiful white sand and hint of the surf in the background.
