I used to work in aquaculture and would often work low tides.
Just so happens the best aquaculture beaches are intertidal shelves. I would often be walking the beach hauling crates of shellfish to a barge that would be perched over 20+ foot deep water.
During the salmon runs the Orca would come right up to the water’s edge.
I will never forget seeing the sheen of at least two Orca a few feet away from me pacing the edge. Could just feel them watching me. They stayed away from the motorized pump on the barge but once I’d go out a hundred or so feet to where the diggers left crates I’d sense them in the dark.
I personally did not lose a whole crate. A few times with a certain set of crew some product was left on the beach uncrated and caught in the incoming tide. Keeping pace with the tides was a big part of the job so it was mostly a rookie mistake.
A few times some crates spilled or flipped on the lift and haul up onto the barge when you were chest deep and lifting over your head, but I only ever lost maybe a dozen in the six years I did it. A full crate actually sinks at a fairly slow rate so if you lose your grip you can just let it drop and scoop any floaters trying to escape.
Now I did have to dive couple feet a few times for a sinking crate but nothing far out of reach of my headlamp. Definitely spooky though.
I used to work in aquaculture and would often work low tides.
Just so happens the best aquaculture beaches are intertidal shelves. I would often be walking the beach hauling crates of shellfish to a barge that would be perched over 20+ foot deep water.
During the salmon runs the Orca would come right up to the water’s edge.
I will never forget seeing the sheen of at least two Orca a few feet away from me pacing the edge. Could just feel them watching me. They stayed away from the motorized pump on the barge but once I’d go out a hundred or so feet to where the diggers left crates I’d sense them in the dark.
Damn that must have been an eerie feeling, thanks for sharing.
Did you ever accidentally lose a crate over the side?
I personally did not lose a whole crate. A few times with a certain set of crew some product was left on the beach uncrated and caught in the incoming tide. Keeping pace with the tides was a big part of the job so it was mostly a rookie mistake.
A few times some crates spilled or flipped on the lift and haul up onto the barge when you were chest deep and lifting over your head, but I only ever lost maybe a dozen in the six years I did it. A full crate actually sinks at a fairly slow rate so if you lose your grip you can just let it drop and scoop any floaters trying to escape.
Now I did have to dive couple feet a few times for a sinking crate but nothing far out of reach of my headlamp. Definitely spooky though.