Nature Features

If ever you've fancied learning more about marine wildlife in all of its many shapes and sizes, Kimmeridge Bay on the Dorset coast should be your destination.

Part of the spectacular Jurassic Coast heritage region, Kimmeridge Bay, near Wareham, is known as the rockpooling capital of the south of England, and recent rare sightings by visitors there include Sunfish, Tadpole fish and Trigger fish.

But what's unique is that visitors do more than get their feet wet – they can come away with knowledge of local wildlife, and help add to existing information about what can be found on the Dorset coast, thanks to the guidance of volunteers.

One of these is Steve Trewhella. By day he's a window cleaner, but in his spare time he comes to down to Kimmeridge to help visitors find out more about their marine discoveries, and Steve’s passion for the subject is obvious.

Volunteer Steve Trewhella

An amazing place

He says, "It's such an amazing place, [the water is] so clear. There's such an abundance of wildlife.

"I want to show people what I see. You don't have to be a qualified marine biologist – I'm not, I'm a window cleaner!"

And Steve says more volunteers are needed:

"As long as you have a skill, whether it be chatting to people, or by saying 'Don't take limpets off the rocks', 'treat the reserve with respect', or 'don't keep too many live animals in a bucket' - it’s about getting [the information] to the people.

"And we need members of the general public to deal with members of the general public!"

Rockpooling at Kimmeridge

Reading the beach

New volunteers attend a course, which is held monthly, where they are taught a range of information from how the local tides work through to all about seaweeds, etc.

This knowledge can then be shared with visitors, and help people to 'read the beach', so they come away with an enriched experience.

The information can also help detect signs of climate change or help to measure the health of the waters.

The scheme is one of several run through the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, and Kimmeridge warden Julie Hatcher explains the thinking behind it.

She says, "It's really important that people are getting involved with recording what they see when they go the sea shore.

Visitors on Kimmeridge Bay

"We're looking for changes in what people see, and the reasons behind it, and the more people out there looking, the more information we can collect – so it's really important people get involved…!"

More information on the work of the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, and how to volunteer, can be found on their website.