Cormorants always look a bit theatrical when they stand with their wings spread, but it’s mostly practical. Their feathers aren’t fully waterproof – it helps them dive deeper and move faster underwater – so after a hunt they have to dry out in the sun and breeze. At North Curl Curl rock pool yesterday, one bird had taken up its drying perch just above the lane, watching a lone swimmer carve slow laps below. Two very different ways of being in the water, sharing the same strip of coast for a moment.