Symbiosis: Sea Anemone/Clownfish & Shelly/David

Finding Nemo in Sea Anemone
(photo from richard-seamon.com)

Happy Scuba Shelly

The clown anemone really does look like Nemo!
(photo from profilekiss.com)

Sea Anemones were all around on this dive!
(photo from aquaworldaquarium.com)

Another Symbiotic Relationship

David's Advanced PADI Diver Card Photo

 We had a great dive Friday to a new site off the west Mauritius coast.  Called Anemone Garden, we saw beautiful sea anemones with their friends the clownfish (who really truly look like Nemo). Clownfish have a symbiotic relationship with the sea anemone, keeping each other protected and healthy. According to Wikipedia, in a symbiotic relationship, the clownfish feeds on small invertebrates that otherwise have the potential to harm the sea anemone, and the fecal matter from the clownfish provides nutrients to the sea anemone.  The clownfish is additionally protected from predators by the anemone's stinging cells, to which the clownfish is immune. 

Shelly and David are likewise in a symbiotic relationship.  After 28 years together, we pretty much know each other's idiosyncracies . . . Shelly mostly puts up with David's talking to every stranger (now in Creole!), and David knows that Shelly is unaware of today's date or time in this or any other timezone.  At the same time, Shelly can organize a project (like packing out an entire household) weeks ahead of time with pinpoint accuracy and David reliably posts blogs with embarrassing pictures early in the morning.  And, (this just in) both Shelly and David are taking classes at the Foreign Service Institute after Labor Day because the State Department may hire Shelly to work in its Guayaquil Consulate!  So much for Shelly's retirement, but so much the better for our symbiosis!

Shelly PADI Advanced Diver Card Photo
(posted by David without prior permission)