Coffee on the beach

Coffee on the beach
Originally uploaded by Martin Kristiansen

Coffee on the beach - the Norwegian way. Summer has finally arrived in Northern Norway. The temperature is rising, and today was a perfect day to chill out on the beach. You just remember to dress well.

It was not that bad. Just having a coffee after some hours snorkling in the evening.

Dette så jeg:

Kråkeboller. Grønne og en og annen svart. Massevis av kråkeboller. Ser ikke ut som om noen spiser kråkeboller her - utenom kråka da. Så bare to fisker. En rognkall og verdens minste rødspette. Kun to skikkelige skjell. O-skjell. Fin størrelse, selv om de var noe ensome.

Foruten at det var kråkeboller i overflod, var det også en overflod av snegler. Et paradis for snegleetere! Var også skikkelige kongesnegler her. De hvite med ordentlig skru. Strandkrabbe og eremittkreps var det også plenty med.

Dette var i Børrvågen, bukta mellom Nordmela og Børra. Langgrunt. Store dønninger i havgapet. Nesten som å surfe.

Gikk også på land og tok en tur til fots til ei bukt lengre ut. Her var det vedlig klart og fint vann. Grusbunn, men kun snegler, eremittkreps og strandkrabber.


- I fear nothing, said the common shore crab.

Things I saw. Only looking for edible animals ;-)

• Drøbakkskråkebollen - Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis - Green edible Norwegian sea urchin
• Rognkall - Cyclopterus lumpus - Lump sucker
• Rødspette - Pleuronectes platessa - European plaice
• O-skjell - Modiolus modiolus - Horse mussel

And I am pretty sure I met this snails:

• Strandsnegl - Littorina littorea - Common periwinkle
• Purpursnegl - Nucella lapillus - Dog whelk (purple snail)
• Kongesnegl - Buccinum undatum - Common whelk
• Neptunsnegl - Neptunea despecta - Rejected Neptune

But I now have learnt that it is very hard to determine snails. Did you know that they actually use the size and shape of the animals penis to determine the species? Although the books say nothing about determination of a female snail. If penis peering doesn't work out, they use DNA-analysis. So I am fairly pleased with my own determination, made through the goggles while floating in open sea.

• Strandkrabbe - Carcinus maenas - Common shore crab

And this little fellow, which is probably not edible, but funny too watch:

• Eremittkreps - Pagurida - Hermit crabs, don't know which. There were so many.

Funny to watch are also the goby, which I presume inflects to gobies. These were amazingly colorful. Hey! That's guppies, I told myself.


Børra sett fra havet. Børra viewed from the sea.