Hundreds of Smith's swimming crabs have been washing up on Port Elizabeth's beaches, specially around Cape Recife, over the last week. The theory behind the occurrence is that they have been trying to get away from a severe "upwelling" in the bay. An upwelling is when a prolonged onshore winds and wave action causes icy water from the lower depths to come to the surface.
Hmmm, make me want to dinner with boiled crabs including hot chili sauce! :)
ReplyDeleteNice shot!
Thanks for the explanation. Cool shot of the crab.
ReplyDeleteGood to eat?
ReplyDeleteUmmm. I used to surf in Algoa bay and when there was an offshore wind it drove the warm Benguela current out to sea and allowed colder water to enter the bay. It also flattened the surf but if you caught it just after the wind had veered from SE it held the swells up beautifully and allowed for wonderful surfing.
ReplyDeleteHad the misfortune on more than one occasion to be diving/spearfishing when these crabs have been on the march/swim out of the icy waters - from Summerstrand to Cape Recife. Fortunately the tempered glass of the diving mask protects the eyes. Just wish I had underwater video at the time. Heard about the crabs too late and time constraints prevented me from getting images or in the water. Next time!
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