Anyone who spends time beside the sea knows
there’s a wealth of ‘treasure’ to be found, be it natural or manufactured,
living or washed up. Beachcombing in
South Africa by Rudy van der Elst is a friendly guide to the seashore’s
rich pickings.
Short chapters such as Floaters and drifters,
Sea-beans, Sponges, Eggs and egg cases, and many more, detail what can be found
and how to interpret or identify specimens. Items may reveal links to
activities or biological events in the nearby ocean – or, perhaps, thousands of
miles away. They may relate to human activities, such as fish or bird tagging,
or be oceanographic instruments separated from their moorings. Or they may be
part of the growing menace of flotsam and jetsam from the planet’s burgeoning
human population. This book will enhance the experience of beachcombing,
satisfy curiosity about finds, and contribute to a better understanding of the
life in our oceans and along our shores.
The book is aimed at a wide audience of
beach strollers, dog walkers, anglers, bird watchers and families who share a
fascination with the seashore and its treasures.
Rudy van der Elst is former director of the
Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) based at Durban’s uShaka Marine Park. He
has lived and worked near, on or under the sea since his student days, and is
one of the leading authorities on the marine fishes of southern Africa. Now
retired, he lives in Mossel Bay where he continues to enjoy the coastline and
its treasures.
Beachcombing
in South Africa is published by Penguin Random
House South Africa - RRP: R180. ISBN: 9781775845713
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