Las Canteras: a fish’s-eye view

I like to rest under the shelter of the Barra de Las Canteras. This natural reef slows the momentum of the Atlantic and provides quiet nights for fish like me. At dawn, when the sun's rays colour the surface shades of pink and purple, I begin to move around the bay and peck at algae with my parrot's beak. At this hour, the early birds of the human variety also begin to make their way into the sea, splashing and swimming as if they were fish themselves.

As the sun continues to rise, the light penetrates into the crystal clear waters where I live; revealing a true blue paradise in which we fish move. Legend has it that the colourful ornate wrasse fell to the water from the sky’s rainbows. The damselfish, meanwhile, appear to be tiny dark shadows moving freely between the sea of bodies and legs as the beach is transformed during the day.

Sometimes, often early in the day, water rushes to me through a vibration caused by a nearby sound from the shore. For a while this was a mystery to me, until one day I worked out its origin. It came from the human beings who have a habit of starting the day with a swim in Las Canteras, humming a tune as they do. Thus the beach becomes an underwater auditorium.

Las Canteras is a magical and poetic beach. And I must confess that I have not always managed to uncover all its mysteries. On one occasion, boosted by a gentle wave, I saw a rose whose stem had been buried in the sand at sunset. There must be a beautiful story behind that image. Maybe someday someone will tell me ...

I realize that humans react differently to the marine environment, although Las Canteras beach receives them all equally. Some men and women are left rocked by the sway of the sea and their own thoughts. Others, however, behave like real fish. I, however, always keep my distance, hiding behind a rock or amongst seaweed to watch them.

My house is blue, wide, open and transparent. Seagulls fly over my house, bringing us news from their world of wind and sky as we share our stories from the depths of the ocean. My home is Las Canteras. My house is your house.