Loving and Learning About the Ocean – From Beach Walker to Weekend Researcher

Most of us are fond of the ocean, how can we not be? It provides us with sheer beauty on both its tranquil days and in its more furious and raging moments. It gives us a place to play, to exercise, to relax and to explore. So because we love the ocean in all its shapes and sizes, we often want to understand its secret inner workings and unravel the mystery that shrouds the distant horizon but how can we do this? Many of us aren’t scientists who understand our blue planet’s complex intricacies. Very few of us are intrepid divers descending into the deep and often it feels that without these qualities, we cannot learn more about the ocean. We don’t have the time, the money, the resources or the type of mind that can understand complicated processes and equations. Well this article is here to tell you how you can get clued up on the sea surrounding you without any of these things; all you really need is enthusiasm.

I always thought I understood the ocean, I had grown up in a county surrounded by sea on three sides after all, yet it wasn’t until I really started exploring that I realised I couldn’t answer any of my own questions. How had this striped, folded and rugged cliff face been formed over millions of years? Why do endless nurdles blanket the tide line on one beach while the next cove along appears pristine? Where exactly are all these dolphins everyone always sees and why can’t I spot one? All I really knew was that I loved the feeling of being next to our raw and beautiful ocean. So I set about to change this. I am not a fantastic scientist. I do not spend my evenings cramming my brain with everything there is to know about our great oceans. I am never found barrelling down the face of a wave in tune with the ocean’s rhythms. I am pretty much your average beach dog walker and summer sea swimmer, yet this hasn’t stopped me from learning about the ocean from some incredible experiences that were all available in my local area. Here I share some of them and hope they will inspire you to get out there and find out more about our truly inspiring blue planet.

Several weeks ago, I combined my desire to see more marine life with making a positive difference to the local area by purchasing a ticket for a four hour boat trip where not only did we go dolphin spotting but we also collected data on the amount of microplastic in the surrounding bay. Right from the off it was all hands on deck as we used small mesh plankton nets to catch any pesky microplastics. These nets were tied to rope and slowly let out 10 metres behind the boat where they stayed drifting for around 10 minutes. Once the time was up, we hauled the soggy nets back in and poured their contents into test tubes with our magnifying glasses at the ready. In what looked like completely pristine and gorgeously clear waters, we found microplastics or microfibres in every single sample we collected, whether that was at the entrance to the river, parallel to a regularly cleaned beach, out at sea or next to a busy marina. This was a very humbling experience as I often believed my beautiful patch of coastline escaped the worst of the plastic blight, yet all this time it was hiding just out of sight rather than littering the soft golden sand.

Once further out into the ocean with over 50 metres of water below us, we saw a sudden increase in gannets, razorbills and guillemots, all signs of abundant fish in the area. Within only a few minutes of sighting these seabirds, the tiny black slip of a dolphin fin peeked out of the water in the distance and the captain threw the boat from pootling speed into full steam ahead to get a good sighting. Pinned against the back of our seats with our hair streaking out behind us, our cheeks grew rosy and the boat seemed to contain a new atmosphere filled with hope and exhilaration. In total, 10 pods of common dolphins willingly approached our boat that day to investigate and play in the slipstream. I was lucky enough to stand on the tip of the bow as 250 dolphins swam only a metre below me, every now and then rolling over to give me a good eye up before leaping out of the water showcasing their clicks and whistles. Just as the winter sun began to fall behind the watery horizon, a baby dolphin launched its body from the water, belly flopping with a splash as he repeatedly practised his aerobatics for an awe-inspired audience. It was a truly magical experience and I’m only sad that all this has been sitting on my doorstep for the last 21 years and I’ve not taken better advantage of it! So often we forget the places we live are just as special as the places we choose to go on holiday. Our oceans really are still teeming with life wherever you are and it only takes one trip to open your eyes to the wonders hiding tantalisingly close under your nose.

Another activity I have recently participated in was a marine mammal surveyor course hosted by a national organisation. So this was the most expensive of all my experiences but the knowledge I’ve gained really will last a lifetime. This day long course was held at a local university with enthusiastic volunteers teaching our class how to identify all the different whales, dolphins and porpoises present in European waters and I was astounded as to how many different species there were. I had no idea that some of the ocean’s giants such as sperm whales and killer whales could be passing alongside my little island nation. We learnt about the ginormous two metre tall killer whale dorsal fin, the easily scarring risso dolphins which morph from black to white over their lifetime, the giant ‘melon’ in the head of sperm whales which allows them to locate deep water squid and the blue whale calves which put on 80 stone a day from their mother’s milk!

With pages of scribbled notes, many attempts at badly drawn dorsal fins and a head full of stories about magical whale encounters, we moved onto the slightly more technical side of how to conduct a scientific survey. Some courses in your area may not cover this aspect, however the organisation I chose to do the course with provides many opportunities for you to collect real scientific data from one of the many ferries or cruises criss-crossing Western Europe. After several simulated surveys in groups (including a lot of laughs and a lot of failed attempts), I graduated the day complete with my surveyor certificate and this summer it will allow me to board national ferry routes and collect sightings data which helps inform national policy with regard to marine protected areas and marine conservation. The course was attended by all walks of life, ages spanned 20 to 70 with experience ranging from zero to plenty but the organisation aims to have everyone out at sea surveying, no matter age, experience, disability or academic qualifications. If you have previously had terrible luck spotting local marine mammals like me, then this could give you all the knowledge you need to get out on the cliffs dolphin spotting every weekend.

If money and time are tight, I’ve also been to some really great free activities only fifteen minutes from my house including community beach cleans and rockpool rambles. Technically, you can do these activities on your own but seeing as they are often free, it’s a great way to meet new people but also to learn more about what is lying on your doorstep. The local conservation groups who run these activities have great knowledge on what types of plastic normally wash up, which beaches are the worst hit and what type of weather and swell will bring up the greatest hauls of trash. If you’ve ever been collecting shoreline plastic and are not sure what you are finding, these people will help you identify what the object was and where it came from. For example, some areas are filled with tiny blue spheres which look like nurdles but are actually bio-beads used to treat sewage which then secretly tumble out of local outlets. If you keep finding lots of Lego characters littering the tideline, this may be because of a shipping container lost in a regional storm decades ago but its contents have transformed into salty sea dogs still riding the waves. Local groups will be able to give you all this specific information while the rockpool rambles many conduct can educate you on the hidden away species lurking under the waves at high tide; a firm favourite with children.

One more final inspiring, ocean-themed event I love attending in my area are film festivals. Each year a global festival hits my town on one dreary winter’s night and every single time it fills me with awe at our blue planet. The films vary year on year and have included inspiring stories of ordinary people crossing vast oceans, many of whom have never even held an oar before, let alone used one! There are also beautiful features showing the underwater environment many of us never get to see and films of faraway places we didn’t even know existed. I always find this night of the year a true eye opener, not only to the majesties of our oceans but also to the range of incredible things I could be doing out amongst the waves if I sought a little more adventure.

As you can see, there are many activities you can attend close to home on a spare weekend to help you learn more about the ocean we all love so greatly. I always turn up at these events equipped with almost no knowledge yet have always left feeling inspired, moved and more passionate and excited to do something positive for our oceans. As Robert Wyland said ‘the ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul’ so it seems learning about the beauty of the ocean and spending time near its power is what we really need to motivate change. I hope you feel encouraged to seek out some of these events near your home as every tiny action we take, every positive drop in the ocean we make, counts.

By Neve McCracken-Heywood