Seasearch Training Day

Sarah Ward

Living Seas Officer

After a long summer of unsettled weather, we were so pleased to be able to go ahead with our Seasearch training day earlier in September. This year has seen much of our Seasearch diving cancelled due to poor conditions at sea, so when I saw a weekend of sunshine in the forecast for our planned training day I was ecstatic!

In order to accommodate both scuba divers and snorkelers, we ran our training day collaboratively with our friends at Mulberry Marine Experiences, who are a diving and snorkelling training outfit – as well as running some great local programmes promoting marine ecology.

We met in the glorious sunshine on the Selsey seafront by the lifeboat station – a site which is suitable for divers and snorkellers alike. Our divers set off to deeper depths in their buddy pairs, whilst our snorkellers investigated marine life in the shallow waters around the wooden groynes. As marshals, Anya and I took up our position on the beach to watch the participants, ensuring that they were ok throughout their surveys. Divers carry SMBs (surface marker buoys), sometimes known as ‘safety sausages’, so that marshals can keep track of their whereabouts during their dive.

After an hour, the participants regrouped on the beach, sharing what they’d seen and noting down some initial observations on their survey form. As well as a species list, the survey comprises examining the overall habitat – both the physical environment and the biological. Our surveyors noted mixed grounds with various seaweed and animals burrowing in the sediment. Tompot Blennies were seen around the groynes and Spider Crabs were found further out.

In the afternoon it was off to Aldwick, were everyone snorkelled the coastal side of Bognor Rocks.

Lastly, once everyone dried off, we headed to a nearby pub for some refreshments and form-filling. All participants were able to get their Seasearch Observer qualification signed off by our tutor, Bryony Chapman, who joined them on the surveys. It was a fantastic day and even better to have a handful of new Seasearch volunteers.

Seasearch is a project for volunteer divers and snorkelers who have an interest in underwater life, want to learn more, and want to help protect the marine environment around the coasts of the UK. To learn more, please visit this page on our website, or the national Seasearch website.