The Highest Tide

As a child I was just as excited about the life residing in and around a beach, as I was about the treasures hidden behind our garden shed or deep inside the compost heap. 

My brother and I would spend hours flipping stones in the shallow rock pools and sweeping our nets through the tangled mass of seaweed, which filled every salty nook, as the sea withdrew to reveal her marvels. 

Whether we were at Brighton, New Haven or Marbella, a massive part of our holiday experiences centred on the mesmerising marine wildlife. We captured crabs of all sizes (including a huge, olive green example that we stalked for days whilst on holiday in Spain), fish, sea slugs, hermit crabs, shrimps and once a huge eel (my mum still has the photo of little me holding it aloft triumphantly!). All of these wonders would be placed in our bucket and studied, before we released them.

Trips to the seaside are no different for my own children. If the tide has not yet retreated, there will be frequent questions as to when we can finally head into the rock pools and immerse ourselves in the salty natural world. When we went on holiday last year, the boys and I would grab the buckets and spend hours locating sea urchins, starfish and anything interesting that caught our eye. Finally, after floating in the larger inlets buried deep within the rocks, and satisfied with our adventures, we would make our way back to the girls (my wife and mother-in-law) to showcase a bucket of wonder. 

I just do not understand why so many people lose this fascination with nature as they grow older. I am sure it is something every child possesses - that innocent curiosity regarding all living things. Some, like me, keep it into adulthood and it never leaves. For others it just doesn't seem important any more or their parents don't see the use in fostering these instincts. Such a shame. 

There is a wonderful book, which I discovered several years back, and tend to read at least once a year. It encompasses all that I have written here, all the magic of being lost in seaside nature and just wanting to share your life with the myriad creatures inhabiting the natural world. It is called THE HIGHEST TIDE by Jim Lynch and is one of the purest, fictional reads I have encountered. Sadly I may be one of the only dads on the beach to really enjoy spending hours with my kids in the rock pools, at least that is how it seemed last year, but I would urge everyone to read this book and recommend it to parents who have lost their interest in nature. Maybe, just maybe, this book will help them find it again.