Pillars of Hercules

[75RR]

Image (taken in the evening) is of the marina where I collect the majority of my marine samples.
Note the Pillars of Hercules in the distance - Jebel Musa (Morocco) and the Rock of Gibraltar (Europe)

I do this by pulling up the ropes that are tied to buoys, small boats or simply left dangling in the water and pick the seaweed that grows on them.
I try to pick a variety of seaweeds as it increases the chances of finding a wider selection of things to see and photograph.

If one wants a sample to last several days (sea samples go off and become quite smelly rather quickly) then one must resist the impulse to place too much seaweed in the sample jar.
You want to have a large water to algae ratio.

To transfer the inhabitants of the seaweed sample on to the slide, I pick up a small amount of seaweed with pincers (one sometimes has to first pull apart the seaweed with two pincers) and tap it lightly a couple of times on the slide. This not only places the animalcules on the slide but also places sufficient water for the cover slip.
It is important to avoid depositing any large pieces of detritus on the slide (i.e. just about anything visible to the naked eye) as this prevents the successful use of high magnification objectives.