Video

A short cinematic sequence of the Isle of Wight's seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows and the marine life that inhabits them for World Seagrass Day 2024! The Isle of Wight's waters are home to extensive and visually stunning seagrass meadows that host a rich marine biodiversity from cuttlefish and catsharks to rays and stalked jellyfish. These underwater meadows are a vitally important habitat an...

A large female thornback ray (Raja clavata) in the shallows of the Isle of Wight's northern Solent coastline. Thornback rays are one of c.10 ray and skate species that occur in the seas of the Isle of Wight and Solent! They can often be seen in areas of mud, sand or gravel habitat where they cruise the seabed in search of prey, or lay low to avoid detection!

From pods of common dolphins to bio-fluorescent anemones the seas of the green temperate waters of the British Isles are alive with marine wildlife! THE WILD SEAS depicts the stunning biodiversity that can be found in our coastal waters! This showreel was produced using footage mainly shot around the Isle of Wight, with sequences from Cornwall, Devon, the Celtic Sea and the western coast of Sco...

A rare nocturnal encounter with an elegant cuttlefish (Sepia elegans) in the sandy shallows of the Bembridge Marine Conservation Zone, Isle of Wight. A cephalopod relative of octopus and squid the elegant cuttle is one of 3 main cuttlefish species found in British seas, and a rare species to encounter. A small nocturnal ambush hunter, it scours sand and mud habitats at night feeding on crustace...

A stunning blue jellyfish (Cyanea lamarckii) in the subtidal waters off Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight. Appearing in early summer to feed on plankton in the summer seas, the blue jellyfish is found throughout the coastal waters of the British Isles from the English Channel to the Shetland Islands. It is attracted into inshore bays by the rich plankton in the near-shore waters. A drifting predato...

Stunning Polycera quadrilineata nudibranchs spawning and laying eggs in the spring seagrass meadows of Bembridge Marine Conservation Zone, Isle of Wight, UK. Polycera quadrilineata is an iconic NE Atlantic nudibranch species, found throughout the subtidal waters of northern Europe. It hunts bryozoans and during spring becomes much more active as the species reproduces, laying 'egg-ribbons' acro...

A showreel of my marine and coastal wildlife media shot primarily in the coastal seas of the Isle of Wight, with some sequences from Devon, Cornwall, the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay. The reel displays a small fraction of the biodiversity of the north-east Atlantic and its coastlines, from wading birds in coastal lagoons to cetaceans in the wild swell of the open ocean. In addition it includes ...

A solar-powered sea slug (Elysia viridis) in the rockpools of the intertidal zone at Reeth Bay on the Isle of Wight. Elysia viridis is an incredible marine mollusc. Its solar-powered name derives from its habit of stealing chloroplasts (photosynthetic organelles) from the marine algae it grazes upon. It absorbs these chloroplasts into its own body cells fully functional, allowing the sea slug t...

Fucus serratus in the intertidal zone at Monk's Bay near Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Fucus serratus is a highly abundant brown alga that can be found from the upper to lower intertidal zones on most rocky shores. It can tolerate massive environmental fluctuations with the tides, and be completely dried out for hours or days depending on the tidal cycle. At high tide it can form dense forests,...

A tiny hooded shrimp (Athanas sp.) in a shallow rockpool at Woody Bay, near Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Hooded shrimp are tiny crustaceans around 2cm long that live in shallow intertidal pools. They have an appetite for decaying algal matter and can often be seen feeding on rafts of stranded seaweed, along amphipods and isopods. Their key distinguishing feature is the pale stripe along the do...

Where there’s sand there’s Crangon crangon. The brown shrimp is a master of disguise, burying itself amongst the sand grains with just its tiny compound eyes and antennae to scan for predator and prey. They can change colour using chromatophores to match their background making them difficult to see during the day. At night they become more active, and forage for food amongst the dunes. They ar...

Forest kelp (Laminaria hyperborea) in the subtidal zone around Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Forest kelp is a large brown alga (phaeophyte), growing up to 2m long. It is a common sight in subtidal rocky areas around the island’s coastline, particularly where waters are often sheltered, clear and sunlight can penetrate through the water column. It forms beautiful kelp forests, one of our most vital ma...

A netted dog whelk in a shallow rockpool at Niton, Isle of Wight. The netted dog whelk is a species of marine gastropod that can often be seen in subtidal and intertidal waters around the Isle of Wight. Its name derives from the 'netted' appearance of its shell. Like many whelks the netted dog whelk has a taste for rotting carrion, using its snorkel-like siphon to detect carcasses on the seaflo...

A short wildlife film produced using marine wildlife footage I shot throughout summer and autumn of 2020, highlighting that there's a lot more going on here than cold murky waters! The seas that surround the Isle of Wight are alive with a myriad of marine organisms and habitats with immense diversity! From kelp forests and seagrass beds to marine mammals and intertidal rockpool anemones. Music:...

Brittle Star (Amphipholis squamata) / Ventnor / Isle of Wight

Montagu’s Crab (Xantho hydrophilus) / Undercliff / Isle of Wight

Spiny Chiton (Acanthochitona crinita) / Steel Bay / Isle of Wight

Green Sea Urchin (Psammechinus miliaris) / Reeth Bay / Isle of Wight

Sea Lemon (Doris pseudoargus) / Bembridge Ledges / Isle of Wight

Long-spined Sea Scorpion (Taurulus bubalis) / Monk's Bay / Isle of Wight

Star Ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri) / Ventnor / Isle of Wight

European Spider Crab (Maja brachydactyla) / Ventnor / Isle of Wight

Gangly Lancer / Sea Spider (Nymphon gracile) / Mount Bay / Isle of Wight

Velvet Swimming Crab (Necora puber) / Ventnor / Isle of Wight

Blue Rayed Limpets (Patella pelucida) / Reeth Bay / Isle of Wight

Painted Goby (Pomatoschistus pictus) / Reeth Bay / Isle of Wight

Common Dragonet (Callionymus lyra) / Puckaster Cove / Isle of Wight

Crystal Jellyfish (Aequorea forskalea) / Mount Bay / Isle of Wight

Hairy Crab (Pilumnus hirtellus) / Reeth Bay / Isle of Wight