The Coastal Explorer People-Watching

In this month’s Coastal Explorer, author, artist and adventurer William Thomson reveals the useful clues other sea-users can impart

- William Thomson

One thing there’s no shortage of all-around Britain’s coast is people, and we can learn a huge amount about the tides, waves, winds, and currents by watching them. People watching is a fine art, and if you can work out who ‘knows their stuff’, you can then emulate their actions or learn from their wisdom. Having said that, even wise people can sometimes be caught out, so never follow someone blindly; always trust your instinct and look out for the clues we have explored in this series. What is guaranteed, though, is that by observing people’s interaction with the natural world, we can learn a lot – regardless of whether they’re doing something of incredible genius, or remarkable silliness.

SWIMMERS

Swimmers reveal a huge amount. Or in some cases, the absence of swimmers can speak just as loudly. When I first visited West Bay in Dorset, I was struck by the fact that there were no swimmers, despite calm, clear waters. When I tentatively went in [why was nobody else swimming?] I noticed that the seabed dropped suddenly and I was out of my depth very quickly. When I tried to get back to shore, the steeply sloping beach created an unusual wave motion that made getting back to dry land difficult in those last few meters. By contrast, there are always great numbers of swimmers in Brighton, year-round – because the beach is fantastic for swimming. This is highlighted when they wade in and the water is waist-deep for a long way out, telling us the seabed is shallow. This is great for safe swimming, especially with kids. And when you watch two swimmers going in different directions it becomes very clear which way the tidal currents are flowing. Despite having similar speed of stroke, one will be racing along, while the other is almost stationary.