Here’s something you don’t see very often – in fact its only the second time in the 7+ years I’ve lived here in Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne.

It’s may end up being quite a sad tale…

Last time it was a porpoise and this time it’s a dolphin, that has somehow got separated from it’s pod, and has ended up swimming aimlessly in the outer harbour boat channel of Sovereign Harbour.

As you can see from the photo, a lot of wellwishers turned out to watch with their fingers crossed that everything would turn out ok…

The story continues…
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I went on my first dive of 2007 in the Marina yesterday, and I’d like to share some of my photos with you.

Thought I’d start with something you can see without having to get wet :-)

This time of the year, all areas of Sovereign Harbour are awash with jellyfish like the ones in the picture below:

Read on to hear what it’s like to dive with them…
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According to recent figures from Halifax Pet Insurance…

More than One Third of Britain’s cats and dogs are overweight.

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They might have 9 lives, but spending even part of 1 life as a homeless cat isn’t much fun.

2006 was an emotional time for this particular cat lover and a few of our neighbours, as we rescued not 1 but FOUR cats, that had been left to fend for themselves by their previous owners in and around the Key West area of South Harbour.

Though what we discovered as we tried to do the right thing astounded us:

Apparently the Cats Protection League volunteers are no strangers to Sovereign Harbour, as there have been a growing number of stray cats left to rely on handouts, and at the mercy of any sympathetic residents.
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If you thought that Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour was just a cold, dark, wet place with not much at all going on below the surface then think again.

Did you know that it contains, amongst other things, some seahorses…
…

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Whilst this was the catchphrase from a woman’s deoderant advert from the early 1980s, it has a much greater local relevance, and relates to an ongoing maritime saga that’s happening just off our immediate coastline in Pevensey Bay.

The ‘She’ in question is the HMS Resolution (known to have foundered in Pevensey Bay during the Great Storm of 1703), or could it be a Dutch Warship (lost during the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690)…

The mystery deepens…
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Friday 9th Feb was a busy night for members of the Planet Divers scuba diving club as they were treated to not one, but two guest speakers.

Paul Stratford, club member and licensee of the recently discovered wreck in Normans Bay(believed to be the British warship Resolution built in 1665) invited Ian Barefoot from the Nautical Archaeological Society (NAS) to discuss the role that this voluntary organistion has in educating, recording and interpreting British Maritime History. Read more »

Kate Cole of Sussex Seasearch gave an informative and entertaining presentation to members of the Planet Divers scuba diving club on Friday 9th Feb at the Pevensey Bay Aqua Club.

Seasearch is a national project that encourages divers to help build an accurate picture of the marine life encountered on their dives. Read more »

Dr Frances Dipper, the author of British Sea Fishes, is leading this educational seminar to help anyone improve their understanding and recognition of fish in local British waters.

The event is being held at the Hastings Aquarium on Sunday 25th March 2007, starting at 10am. It’s been organised by the Kent and Sussex branches of Seasearch.
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Wow!

This has been way too long coming, but at least I’ve achieved one of my New Year’s resolutions (to get a Blog up and running) – but I won’t say which year ;-)

I’ve always loved Eastbourne, Natural History, and have been scuba diving for over six years so it made sense trying to bring all that together in my Blog.

For the last seven years, I’ve lived in Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour development in the South Harbour, near to the locks and looking out over the English Channel. This area is still too much of a building site for my liking, but the amount of wildlife, especially birds, has grown in both volume and variety.

The same is true of life in the marina itself. I belong to Planet Divers scuba club which has used the North Marina as a regular dive site for a number of years, and whilst the visibility in there is often poor, the marine life, from crabs, eels, fish, and jellyfish, has flourished.

I hope you enjoy the posts and thoughts here, please feel free to comment, and to contact me if you have photos or stories of interest…

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in everything you do,

Jon