Searseach Observer's Course - Good Fun

[Nick of Bristol]

Our club has just hosted a Seasearch Observer’s course. One of the club seniors said that it will ‘transform her diving’. The marine life identification was a lot to take in, but when we got to the actual diving, it was all good fun.

We had a top flight tutor (Chris Wood) who is the author of a number of marine life identification books !

I would recommend it to other clubs

[garfield32]

Yes our club did this last year with Chris as well. Chris also came on our St Kilda trip last year which was great as he kindly signed off qualifying seasearch dives for a number of members.
The course and or books definitely help you understand what you're looking at underwater. I was surprised by how many of the plant looking things, aka hydroids, are actually animals.

[ChristianG]

I was surprised by how many of the plant looking things, aka hydroids, are actually animals.
Actually, unlike on land, the vast majority of the life underwater is made up of animals, often in symbiotic colonies, bluebottles (Portuguese Men of
War - Physalia physalis) for example. There is relatively little actual plant life underwater, certainly when compared to land-based living organisms.

IOW, look at something underwater that you think is a plant and the odds are that it is actually animalistic in nature.