thin king

Good morning,

Learned a skill, gathered some food, and enjoyed the process.

The lure of the sea is ever compelling. There are many things one
can get, all for the taking when one knows how. It is a case of:
Have the skill, go get them.

Before the seabed by the beach along the east coast was reclaimed
in the 1960s, there was an abundance of seafood in the seabed itself.
When the tide ebbed, the water rolled all the way back to the sandbanks
about a mile out, leaving a large expanse of swamp, exposing myriads
of sea creatures. And these were available to whoever had the will and
skill to take.

There was a time when my brother and I noticed a man squatting by
the edge of the sandbank, scanning a shallow pool of water. We were
curious at his stance and wanted to know his business, because he
could not be just wasting his time there when everybody else was out
for something. We did not wait long. Very soon, he waded into the water,
stretched his hand into it for a few moments, sloshed it a few times, and
then retreated to the bank. In his hand was a kepah, a big clam about
4 inches long, 2 inches wide and an inch thick, brown in colour and
rough on the outside like velvet.

That was neat and clever, no tools, just scan. It got our interest. How
did he know where the kepah was. We did not ask him. We just stayed
close by him and observed. We scanned where he did. After a bit of
patience and careful tracking over a few more pickings we discovered
his secret.

The kepah lived just below the muddy sand in the water. It sent out two
tubes, one for sucking in water and the other for expelling it. That was
how it got its food, filtering whatever it needed in the process. The
ejection of the water caused a slight fountain, producing ripples at the
water surface. That was its giveaway.

Spotting the ripples was the first step and getting it was the main aim.
The kepah had keen senses, and the moment the water was disturbed
when we entered it, it ceased its syphoning, and the ripples disappeared
too. So, one had to be very sharp at pinpointing the spot where the center
of the ripples was, or else digging at the wrong place was just futile work.

Sometimes, digging at the right spot got us something else, because
sea cucumbers and sea balls also created similar ripples. We had no
appreciation for sea balls and sea cucumbers then, and we usually played
boomerang and rounders with them. Ha ha ha, what a waste! These things
are very precious nowadays.

The sandbanks were about where our beaches are now. It is buried there.
If this seabed is raised, the kepah will return, and our good old days too.

Have a nice day.
Ronald