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OUR BUDDIES AND OTHER ANIMALS
NIGEL EATON, EDITOR
WE ARE TREATED, IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE, to a rich and diverse collection of scuba stereotypes, as Louise Trevawas reveals her personal A-Z of divers.
Louise's characters are meticulously observed and bear the hallmark of a lifetime of research. And they confront the reader with two questions. Which one is closest to me? And, equally important, which ones are closest to the people with whom I dive?
But there is more to being able to differentiate your Gadget Geek from your Captain Clipboard than a simple spotter's guide. Most of us, having identified our stereotypes, will try to use them as a means of anticipating future behaviour - an exercise which, as well as making an absorbing spectator sport, leads both to safer diving and a generally more comfortable life.
The same principle applies when it comes to getting to know the marine life that we see under water
The first stage - of identifying a species and, perhaps, ticking it off a mental list - is fine as far as it goes. But far more challenging and rewarding is getting to know the habits and lifestyles of encountered creatures - where they are likely to be found, what behaviour patterns can be expected, and how they interact with other species.
For instance, when Gavin Parsons goes in search of basking sharks in UK waters, his knowledge that these giants come to the surface to feed only when a shallow plankton bloom occurs (and the earlier and denser the plankton bloom the better) proves vital.
And when John Bantin dives with sea-lions off Mexico, the relatively long period he spends under water in their company enables him to start to understand their social habits.
Studying the highly charged courtship ritual of a big bull sea-lion and a group of females from the safety of a convenient cave, John soon realises that the frenetic action is taking place in a remarkably small underwater territory. And watching the bull repeatedly ward off a competing suitor, it becomes apparent that: "He moves fast but is so consistent in his behaviour that I can anticipate his every move."
The message is that it is usually more satisfying to get to know a small number of species in detail than it is to adopt a superficial, checklist approach to spotting as many different species as possible.
It's a different mind-set, but getting into it can be as simple as asking yourself, when you come across a particular species: "Why here? Why now?" Whereas, if you happen to bump into many of Louise's walking clichés, you may be forgiven for asking: "Why me?"
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