COASTAL DISCOVERY
This month William Thomson explores the natural beauty of the reefs scattered around the UK coastline, from Skomer to Scotland, where snorkellers and scuba divers can glimpse a bewitching underwater world
William Thomson inspires us with a guide to the amazing reefs we can explore on our shores
For such a simple word, the ‘reef’ is an extraordinarily varied tidal environment. Defined by the International Hydrographic Dictionary as ‘a mass of rock or coral which either reaches close to the sea surface or is exposed at low tide’, there are two main types; fringing reefs and barrier reefs. Fringing reefs extend out from the shore, while barrier reefs are separated from the coast by a lagoon. What both have in common is that they create a home for a phenomenal range of underwater creatures. While Britain’s cold waters do not encourage the growth of shallow coral found in the tropics, this is made up for by the multi-coloured sea life. On any reef around Britain you might expect to find such wonders as the seahorse, sea sponges, anemones, starfish and sea slugs – not to mention inquisitive seals and playful dolphins. Be aware though, some
UK dolphins are so friendly that occasionally they have been known to become a bit overfamiliar with divers.
Reefs are such a fantastic place that we even make artificial ones. One of the best known is Boscombe, just off the coast in Bournemouth. Originally intended for surfers, the idea was to create an iconic surf break with fast hollow waves stereotypical to reefs. Because waves break when the water gets shallow, if the seabed shallows gradually then waves will also break gradually.
But with a reef there is typically a rapid shallowing as they rise up to the surface from deep water, so the waves break quickly with steep faces and hollow barrels that surfers fondly nickname the ‘green room’. However, these rooms come with dangers so they are only for experienced wave riders; the problem with Boscombe is that the arrangement of the reef created such dangerous waves that they were even on the risky side for the local daredevils, so the reef was deemed unsuitable for surfing. After extensive reshaping failed to make a safer wave, the idea of an artificial surfing reef was let go and the focus turned underwater, focusing on reefs as fantastic environments for snorkelling and scuba diving.
While scuba diving takes more effort than snorkelling, the results pay off. As a snorkeller, you are mainly restricted to the surface and can only go under for as long as you can hold your breath (a couple of minutes after lots of training). But with a tank of air strapped onto your back even a beginner diver can enjoy the wonders of the deep for over half an hour before they need to consider returning to the surface – which you won’t ever want to do after discovering the amazing world that lies beneath our waves.
True, the water is cold, but with a dry suit on you will be toasty warm and there is so much to see that you won’t even feel the chill on your exposed cheeks. Wrecks are also a key feature of UK diving and each one has become its own reef supporting an entire ecosystem, regardless of whether it once used to be a galleon, trading vessel, warship or submarine.
And best of all, these are all there waiting for you to explore, cloaked in a blanket of blue that only reveals its secrets when you get up close.