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September 16, 1982 - Exploring Another WorldSECOND SECTION The e*u f f o lh jii M" SEPTEMBER 16 ,1982 Exploring Another World The outside world has so many wonderful and interesting avenues to explore here on Long Island. No matter where you are, they are there for those who seek them out. Just today, after a busy weekend, it was time to take out the face mask and snorkel and poke along our now quiet bay. The bay has changed from its busy summer season now that most of the summer folks have left. There were no water skiers and only one sailboat. Two outboards went by with fishing poles standing ready for use as they headed south. We have a dinghy that we tow behind our boat when we go out for an overnight sail and I've just put together the necessities to make it sail. Rowing is okay, particularly in a light dinghy but there's nothing quite like the quiet gliding experience of sail. My intention was to rig the dinghy for sailing and hang onto the stern as she quietly glided close to shore in fairly shallow water so with snorkel and mask I could get a look at things below. All went well 'til I decided it would be better to hang off the stern using a line trailed from the back of the boat. In that way I'd be able to maneuver to dive and look without having to hold onto the boat. That was my mistake, for as soon as I let go of the dinghy and started my dive holding onto the line, a gust of wind came up and flipped the dinghy over. I realized what I had done but too late. Over she went ever so gracefully and their she lay on her side half in and half out of the water. Well, it was no big thing to swim her ashore, dump her out a few times, reset the mast and start over again. This time I kept my hand on the stern and had complete control. Cool Weather - Clear Water The water's getting clearer and clearer every day and gliding along I felt as if I were peering into another world. Tiny hermit crabs scurried away as the shadow of the boat approached. These little crabs can be seen carrying their homes wherever they go. As they grow larger they have to move out and look for another empty shell for their new home. Some of these hermit crabs grow quite large, using old abandoned conch and moon shells some two inches or more in length. Slowly moving along I caught a glimpse of a large sand crab out of the corner of my eye. its claws were outstretched and it seemed as if it were walking on tiptoes ready to do battle. Here I was along side of the boat and that little crab was ready to fight me off. What a monster I must have looked like to him! He had one broken claw so his challenge must have been taken up by someone else. I've seen other big sand crabs late in the season, all looking old because of the grass and other debris clinging to their shells. Nothing like the bright and shiny shells of the smaller ones we used to catch in our seine nets when we went for snapper bait. Is the old shell telling the story of a crab that hasn't shed for a long time? If this crab hadn't shed say during the summer it would account for the grass and debris on _A . ­OF CULTURE ft(�Iflg3 @M Mn,QMTN its back. The younger crabs shedding more frequently discard the old shell and come out with a bright new covering. Perhaps that's the end of the crab's life when he no longer sheds. It makes sense, for a crab sheds only as it grows. Once it attains a certain size it must keep its shell " and this eventually is the one seen collecting grass and other debris which actually tells the story of its end. Worm Holes on Bottom All along the bottom were holes of one sort or another. These were mostly the holes of worms. Some would retract when approached. Others were just holes. Perhaps their occupants would come out later as darkness took over. One hole had a sand -like chimney built up around it. I've read they're made by tube worms. The chimney or pipe is a collection of sand particles held together by an adhesive created by the worm. Right near by were two eyes protruding from the sand and upon closer investigation the outline of a flounder could be seen laying dormant with sand thrown over its back to completely camouflage itself except for those two eyes. Was he waiting for something to swim by? Everywhere there was codium or spaghetti grass, as the baymen call it. This is relatively new to our bays for when I was a kid, we saw none of it. It looks like a dark green mop and in some areas it has taken over the entire bottom. Under water, its parts are expanded three times to what you see when it lays green and limp on the beach. I'm not sure if it's a good addition or a bad one to our waters. Some say it makes an excellent spawning and nursery area for fish, crabs and scallops. Yet others say it takes over so much that it smothers everything else out. Among the clumps and fields of codium, the white shell of a whelk would stand out. These have become so popular as a food supply that our bays usually have more than one string of conch pot buoys in them. Cooked correctly, they are a gourmet's delight. A week ago these conchs lay along the bottom with their garlands of egg cases attached. Each huge female whelk had two or three smaller males about her while she laid her string of egg cases; presumably the males were fertilizing the eggs. Now many of the chains of egg cases lie on the bottom securely fastened to some underlying stone or object. Here they'll stay 'til the young develop and escape into their new and unprotected world. Their fate will be that most will be consumed by fish and crabs and only a few will live to become adults.., the law of nature in the sea. Sales Service; rr 50 Major Brands CHAROS SOUND EASTERN L.I.'s LARGT `. °I AUDIO -VIDEO SPECIALISTS 28 Cameron St. ( just off Main St. ) Southampton 2834428 , EVERYTHING'S AFFORDABLE Portable Radios & Cassettes - Stereo Components - Auto Sound Systems - TV's - Audio Accessories Large Screen Projection T,V. - Video Recorders BORING SPONGE - -We've all seen oyster shells riddled with holes. The culprit is the boring sponge that makes the shell brittle and useless commercially, often killing the oyster. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Bait For Snappers Swimming along, schools of silversides would pass by keeping just far enough away to give them plenty of room for escape. How they've grown since early summer. Now they are three to four inches in length. What fun it was to use them for bait when snapper fishing. It reminded me that the snappers seen by the dock when starting out had feasted on them many a time. Snorkeling is a technique anyone can master. Even if you can't swim. s ---I and snorkel can be a new adventure to you by just crawling along in the shallow waters around our bays. I believe it's a great way to learn to swim. Breathing through a snorkel with your head underwater, and your body completely relaxed, one gets the assurance that you cannot sink. Now all you have to do is kick your feet and use your arms. Snorkel, mask, and fins go everywhere we go for each bay or creek opens a new avenue of adventure. PAZ il. ATO ITFNRURGH DR. HARVEY TURNER Is pleased to announce the Opening of His Office on September 1, 1982 at 968 Roanoke Avenue (Corner of Northern Blvd.) Riverhead For The Practice Of FAMILY MEDICINE and SURGERY Office Hours By Appointment 727 -4440 -