Seasearch in St Margaret's Bay

What could possibly be the point of a thirty minute dive to three meters, with less than one meter visibility, a bit of swell, and no wreck in sight*?

It certainly wouldn't be everybody's dream day out. But the chance to spend some time with a couple of marine biologists and pour over the sea bed proved too good to miss for Sid and I, who made the trip to St. Margaret's Bay near Dover with Seasearch on the 13th June.

The fact that it was a scorching hot day and that we were with a great bunch of people certainly helped things along. But the real excitement came from a dive where the challenge was to notice everything, record it, and make sense of it afterwards.

The crabs scampered over the muddy bed more quickly than I could note them on the slate. Sid reckons I must have counted some of them at least twice. Counting the 6 or 7 different types of seaweed was easier as they kindly stayed still - though identifying them after posed more of a problem.

But it was only back on shore that we realised how much we'd missed. Part of the collected seaweed was covered in a whole colony of tiny animals - bryozoans, living in the delicate lattice structure of their sleeping bag like exoskeletons. And another diver had brought back a very tough looking navy knife, the outside of which boasted a pink encrusting algae plus several worm casings (duly identified). Far from feeling that we had exhausted our shallow low vis site, I was itching to get back in!

Once we'd finished the identifications and filled in our forms, the forms went off to be entered in a National database detailing the UK coastline for use in research and conservation.

Our Seasearch dive was organised by the Kent Wildlife trust. To go on Seasearch dives you need to have done at least 20 open water dives, with 10 in cold water. You also need to have done a Seasearch observer course. You can find details of courses and organised dives at http://www.seasearch.org.uk

If you would like more information, or fancy doing some Seasearch diving feel free to drop me an email: elinorhardman@hotmail.com

You can find more info on those sneaky bryozoans at http://www.liddiard.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/photoix/bryozoans/bryzoans.htm

*There was actually a wreck in the bay somewhere, but we didn’t see it.