Get Out and Dive In, Terry aka The Amphibiographer

Since minnows nibbled my toes as a toddler, I have been a lover of fish and aquatic critters. This took place in the warm, sandy shallows of the Ottawa River at Moore’s Beach, just south of my hometown of Pembroke, Ontario. Moms would take kids to this beach because even adults could walk out for half a kilometre and still only be up to their knees in water. A perfectly safe place for preschoolers and older kids to play in the water with minimal supervision. I remember sitting down in the very warm water in bright August sunshine, pine-clad shoreline along the river, the far bank seemingly a province away, which it actually was since it was Quebec on that side of the river. Sitting still for a short time invited tiny minnows to come and nibble on the skin and hair on my legs! Tickling and delighting me with their vigorous yet painless nibbling. I was enamoured of the little wriggling fishes, fascinated with their lives and the waters they lived in!

Adding to my fascination was the night I was awakened from sleep so my Dad could show me a huge sturgeon he had just caught in the Ottawa River. Before me was a living dinosaur-like creature, armoured plates and projections bristling from a huge body, whiskers wiggling beneath his chin!! This wonder was also shark-shaped, and being an avid fan of Jacques Cousteau films and Sea Hunt I was totally enthralled by this improbable and fascinating fish. I later went on to video them underwater in the Ottawa and Petawawa Rivers.

Thus was born a fascination and passion for exploring and connecting with the aquatic realms of our watery planet, which I continue to this day! And a passion for sharing my explorations to inspire others to do the same. “Be There, Be Aware, With Care!”
https://amphibiographer.tv/