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Diving to Protect Our Ocean’s Hidden Treasures
Dive Operations in South Scotland and Cornwall focus on seagrass, Maerl beds, and native oysters, protecting vital marine ecosystems.
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DIVE OPERATIONS
Dive Operations covers Research and Surveying of marine habitats to provide data for conservation, restoration and ecological impacts of proposed aquaculture and effluent sites and organised shore clean-ups of marine debris
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Our Dive Operations focus on marine conservation efforts in Scotland and Cornwall
Scotland: In partnership with the Solway Firth Partnership, Newton Stewart Sub Aqua Club, and the Dumfries & Galloway Council, we explore the Solway Coast, focusing on seagrass meadows, saltmarsh, and native oyster habitats. Notably, our team discovered a 1.2-hectare seagrass bed in Loch Ryan, vital for oxygen production, carbon capture, and marine biodiversity.
Cornwall: Working with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Fathoms Free, and Seasearch, our volunteers conduct biodiversity surveys in Looe and Whitsand Bay, with a focus on seagrass and rare Maerl beds. These habitats are crucial for carbon storage and marine life, yet vulnerable to human threats.
Our divers also remove marine litter, including ghost nets, during surveys. We aim to expand our operations to include seaweed farm sites, desalination areas, and native oyster restoration.
Join us in protecting these irreplaceable ecosystems!
'Seagrass, especially Zostera Marina, plays a vital role in our marine ecosystems. They are one of the most valuable and biodiverse habitats on the planet.
They generate enormous amounts of oxygen, a single square metre can release as much as ten litres of oxygen a day through photosynthesis. Seagrass also helps combat climate change by absorbing huge amounts of carbon. They provide a nursery for many marine creatures, remove chemical elements that cause harmful algae blooms, stabilise sediments on the seabed thus indirectly reducing effects of coastal erosion and help improve water clarity.'
How can I get involved?
Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK is always looking for experienced divers to assist with our Diving Operations. Divers wishing to volunteer should have experience of diving in UK coastal waters, have completed a minimum of 50 cold water dives and be qualified to the standard of at least PADI Rescue Diver / BSAC Sports Diver or equivalent.
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