Late in the afternoon as the tide goes out there are patterns that appear on the beach.
They are shown in this BroomeCam photo as the dark areas on the sand. Looking up
close you will see tens of thousands of tiny sand balls. These balls are the work of
Sand Bubbler Crabs. They are almost the same colour as sand, and as round as the sand balls they create. They emerge as soon as the tide recedes. You can almost tell how long the tide has been out by the patterns of their sand balls. The more intricate the pattern of sand balls, the longer the tide has been out. They bolt into their burrows at the slightest sign of danger. To observe them, stay still and avoid casting a shadow over them. Then look out for a moving ball of sand!
Sand bubbler crabs eat the thin coating of detritus on sand grains. They scrape up sand grains with their downward pointing pincers and bring these to their mouthparts that then sift out any tiny food particles. The sifted sand is then discarded in a little ball making these amazing patterns.
Don’t be alarmed, this photo isn’t evidence of an attack by crocodile or shark on the waiting surfers, even though there appears to be blood in the water. This is caused by the very high tide washing the famous and very distinctive red soils of Broome into the bay. Locally known as Pindan, these glorious stretches of scarlet meet the white sandy shores and turquoise blue waters to create a visual masterpiece. The interplay of colour and texture is one of the most unusual and dramatic sights to be seen in Australia.
