The weird and wonderful at Pogey Beach

Sean Landsman

for CBC News

August 13, 2018

This photo essay is the first in an ongoing series aimed at showcasing P.E.I. stories through the eyes of local photographers. If you are a photographer interested in pitching a photo essay, please email compass@cbc.ca.

One of the most common creatures at Tracadie Beach is the American rock lobster. Above, one warns me I’ve gotten a bit too close and tries to fight my camera.

The popular beach is affectionately known as Pogey Beach by many Islanders — a reference to those on employment insurance or "the pogey."

Many venture for a dip into the water — but most have no idea what swims below them.

Here is a look below the surface.

Cute? Beautiful? Creepy? Perhaps all three, but to me the American eel is one of the most interesting fishes in the world. After growing into an adult in Tracadie Bay, this eel will eventually migrate to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to spawn and then die. (Sean Landsman)

Rock crabs are everywhere at Pogey Beach. This one was nestled into the old wharf near the entrance to the beach. Beneath his burly claws is his mate, who he’s tucked tight against his body. (Sean Landsman)

With a long tube-like mouth and body shaped like a blade of eel grass, northern pipefish are quite peculiar looking. Fun fact: northern pipefish are closely related to sea horses! (Sean Landsman)

Another oddity — the winter flounder. Flatfish look like normal fish when they’re little, but as they grow their eyes rotate to one side of their body, which compresses into an oblong pancake-shape. (Sean Landsman)

A simple portrait of a rock crab. (Sean Landsman)

A little hermit crab peeks out from its home to get a closer look at the giant bubble-making thing before it. (Sean Landsman)

A winter flounder rises off the bottom, showcasing its flat shape. Flounder are surprisingly fast swimmers and generally don’t move unless absolutely necessary. Beach goers that have accidentally stepped on them know this first-hand. (Sean Landsman)

Ever felt something tickling your toes when you’ve gone for a dip at Pogey Beach? Chances are, it’s this critter — a sand shrimp — nibbling dead skin off your feet. (Sean Landsman)

If you can get past the fear of their stinging tentacles, lion’s mane jellyfish are actually quite pretty to look at. (Sean Landsman)

Many of P.E.I.’s shallow bays and beaches represent important nursery habitat for young fish and invertebrates like lobsters. (Sean Landsman)

A razor clam briefly pokes its shell above the sand. (Sean Landsman)

At Pogey Beach, eels are quite common. I’ve watched them slither directly below unknowing swimmers. Though they may be creepy, eels are completely harmless. They are also one of the most interactive of creatures on P.E.I. to swim with, frequently approaching within inches of a diver to get a better look. (Sean Landsman)

Cunners — aka “sea perch” — are perhaps P.E.I.’s most common near-shore fish species. Here, several large cunner swim above an anemone that’s retracted its tentacles. The anemone has fastened itself to a rock covered in an orange encrusting sponge. (Sean Landsman)