h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Cornwall's suffering an armada of Portuguese men-o-war, reportedly:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-19516091

I love all the different ways we describe this creature. Not only does it have an intriguing common name, but there's the Latin name Physalia physalis, and the BBC's description of it as a "Cornish pasty-shaped, transparent purple float".

So, what have you seen washed up on the beach this year?

I haven't seen anything myself recently except wind driven surf from a distance.

I haven't actually been down to the shore line recently, though its been my experience that beach combing is at its best during the off season when tourism is at a minimum and there's more to be seen after a storm than in fair weather.

There was a recent fish kill at the Salton Sea, large numbers of dead fish washing up on the shore line..

well it was washed up, a random find, I don't think it came from far away or anything

parts of a pump drill, wooden one, thought it was for fire starting but had wierdy notch and holes,

I found it interesting

Nothing. They ruined our favourite beach about 10 years ago when they removed the groynes.

But before then we found a sunray starfish, shrimps, crabs, common starfish, and one of those tiny things that's not a squid. You know.

Happy days ...

Mol

...tiny things that's not a squid...

Cuttle fish?

We've had some whales wash up on the beach this year-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/06/12/bc-beached-whale-vancouver.html

Thankfully no more feet in shoes like past years!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45224503/ns/world_news-americas/t/ninth-foot-washes-canada-shore-twist/

We are still waiting for more of the debris from the Japanese tsunami and there have been offers from the Japanese government to help clean it up.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/07/article-1374520-0B86DF5900000578-696_634x449.jpg

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/09/03/bc-japan-pay-tsunami-debris.html

So I guess you could say we have a few interesting things washing / washed up on the beaches here.

Aside to clzoomer

Say, I wonder if there's a TV movie to be made here.
"The Beachcombers: Relics and Debris"

Seriously, think about it. You'd have to partner with
serious minded enviro-types and a scrap-dealer and one
of them treasure hunting antique pickers (there's the
three main characters complete with a conflict). Just
gotta find some beach babes with rubber gloves and
the movie will make itself. Not to mention the money
you'd make selling the 'relics and debris' and the awards
from all the Enviro folks as well as the film industry.

Let me know if you want someone to come on board as a
writer/assoc.producer. The damn thing would write itself
as it all unfolded. History, Discovery or Showcase might
get behind it from the get-go. And Government money should
be easy to find - especially as you're doing a bit of a
clean-up and promoting the recovery of British Columbia's
beautiful coastlines. Might even get a few free flights
to Japan...

I can see it now, war canoes, totem poles, virgin rain forest,
dissolve to flotsam and jetsom and a happy seal balancing a
Hello Kitty on his nose.


~jwf~

Yes, cuttlefish, that was it

Mol

Will this docu-extravaganza be filmed in 3D, jwf?

Oo, that's a scary thought. 3D images of Japanese garbage.


But we'd better ask clzoomer for his thoughts. He's the
cinematographer after all. I suspect he'll settle for
digital HD. Although, some grainy old B&W footage of
'the way things were' always makes a nice contrast.


~jwf~

I had a lucky pebble once. I used to take it with me everywhere. Then one day while at the seaside I accidentally dropped it. I searched and I searched but couldn't find it. My lucky pebble is still out there, somewhere.

Oo... that's deep.

O, special magic Stone where Aart thou?


~jwf~

"I had a lucky pebble once. I used to take it with me everywhere. Then one day while at the seaside I accidentally dropped it. I searched and I searched but couldn't find it."

No problem! Next time you're by the sea, pick up any pebble you fancy - the chances that you chose that particular one from all the millions of pebbles there, makes it a very special pebble indeed.

Japanese garbage, jwf? I had hoped for something more camera-friendly.

Have you seen some of that garbage?
Brand new motorcycles in crates, entire houses,
containers full of Hello Kitty dolls, boats, tables,
personal papers and photographs - anything and
everything that was to be found in the coastal
villages of Japan is now appearing on BC beaches.
Except the cars of course, unlike the famous German
Volkswagens of yesteryear Japanese cars don't float.
Rubber sneakers (trainers, running-shoes, etc) do
and they often have feet in them.

~jwf~

Last week, a dead cow washed up on our local beach . There is not a single cattle/dairy farm to be found within miles of this beach and the general concensus was that it had died on a transport ship and been dumped at sea...

The Pacific Ocean's currents are a mystery to me. There are vortexes [vortices?] where plastic objects whirl in endless circles. Unsuspecting people in Hawaii set out in boats, and may get taken hundreds of miles away by rogue currents. Then there are the tropical and not-so-tropical storms that might carry things a long way.

How did some of the junk from Japan's coasts manage to get so far due east without running into vortices and rogue currents and storms? Did Hawaii's beaches get graced with ahy of it?