© Sarah WardWhat does Seasearch do?
The broad aim of Seasearch is to map the sea bed found in the near-shore zone around the whole of the Britain and Ireland. Additionally, the species encountered on the dives are also recorded, building up a database of where marine life is found.
Sussex Wildlife Trust coordinates Seasearch in Sussex. We aim to find out more about the marine wildlife of Sussex as well as to learn more about seabed types and identify important sites. Many of our dives are focused on Marine Protected Areas in Sussex.
Why does Seasearch matter?
The information collected by Seasearch divers helps those responsible for marine activities and marine nature conservation to develop strategies which protect our marine wildlife. It has been crucial in the fight for Marine Conservation Zones, and will continue to be so!
Seasearch records are entered into the Marine Recorder database which is sent through to JNCC annually.
Seasearch is a partnership between Seasearch CIC, Seasearch Scot, The Wildlife Trusts, statutory nature conservation bodies and others, and delivered locally in England by Wildlife Trusts and independent local co-ordinators.
Seasearch is collecting vital baseline data to support the regeneration of Sussex kelp forests through our Sussex Kelp Recovery Project.
© Kirsty Harris
© Paul Parsons.Get more from your dives
Learn about our marine wildlife and how to record it.
No prior specialist knowledge is required as training is provided.
There are three levels of Seasearch training available:
- Seasearch Observer – one-day introductory course that everyone needs to take before coming out on a Seasearch dive
- Seasearch Surveyor – two-day more advanced course that includes a dive
- Special Interest courses – a range of more detailed identification courses (previous courses have include mollusc identification, seaweed identification, and underwater photography)
Each year we will run at least one Seasearch Observer course and generally a specialist course as well. Surveyor courses are run every few years, depending on interest.
You can find more information about training courses on the Seasearch Website.
