Seasearch Training

Whether you have taken part in marine recording project before or not you can add to your knowledge and experience by taking part in one of our training courses. Three types of Seasearch course are currently available:

Seasearch Observer - for divers new to marine recording in British and Irish waters

Seasearch Surveyor - for experienced recorders who want to increase the value of the results

Specialist Courses - a range of ID and techniques courses for people who want to expand their knowledge 

 

Seasearch Observer

This is a one-day course aimed at giving divers new to the project and new to marine recording a basic grounding. At the end of the course you should be able to complete the Seasearch Observation Form and take part in Seasearch Dives either on your own, with your club or on dives organised by Seasearch Partners.

 

During the course you'll learn about Seasearch - its aims, history and achievements, a basic introduction to the variety of marine life in British and Irish waters, recognising and classifying marine habitats, position fixing, and how to fill in the Observation Form. The day concludes with a 'video dive' and an opportunity to fill in a form without even getting wet!

The course includes a course pack and identification guides and recording slates are available to purchase giving you everythng you'll need to go ahead and get started. The tutors are all divers themselves and keen Seasearchers.

A real dive isn't a part of the course but often one is arranged locally for you to practice your techniques with a tutor on hand. Where two days are shown in the list below the course usually takes place on the first day with diving on the second.

During the course you'll get a Seasearch Qualification booklet. Once you have completed 5 forms for real (two on dives with a tutor present) you can get signed up as a Seasearch Observer.

Here is what one participant thought of the course "Most enjoyable. Wish I had done something like this years ago!" (October 2009)

Around 30 Observer Courses are held each year. The dates arranged so far for 2010 are shown below and there are others in the planning stage. If there isn't a course already organised near you we can bring one to you if you can find a hard core of people from your own area or club and a room. Contact National Coordinator Chris Wood or your nearest Seasearch contact.

 

OBSERVER COURSES

 

date
location
contact
2010
   
13th March Leicester  
20th March Birmingham  
21st March Blackburn, Lancs  
27th March Newcastle Upon Tyne  
27th March South Queensferry (Edinburgh)  
27-28th March Plymouth  
10-11th April Poole  
17-18th April Selsey, Sussex

 

17 & 25th April Bangor, N Wales

 

18th April Pontefract (Blue lagoon)  
24-25th April Rhyl, N Wales

 

24-25th April Marloes, Pembrokeshire

 

24-25th April Howth, Dublin
8-9th May Galway
23rd May Canterbury
25-26th May Truro
5th June Botley, Hampshire  
19-20th June Norwich  
10th July York  
10-11th July Sheringham, Norfolk  
17-18th July Kilkenny  

26-27th July

Truro  
31st July Christchurch, Dorset  
4-5th September Portrush, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Seasearch - Charmaine Beer
4-5th September Eyemouth, Berwickshire St Abbs VMR - Georgia Conolly
11th-12th September Glasgow West Scotland Seasearch - Owen Paisley
25-26th September Selsey, Sussex Hackney BSAC - Richard Clegg
25-26th September Marloes, Pembrokeshire West Wales Seasearch - Kate Lock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seasearch Surveyor

The Surveyor Course is aimed at experienced Seasearch Observers and others with a good background knowledge of marine life and marine recording. The aim is to enable you to complete the Seasearch Survey Form which is used on most of the expeditionary Seasearch dives and which gives much more detailed information for future conservation purposes.

 

The course lasts two days and includes a dive on the second day. The Course content is an expansion of the Observer Course and covers a much wider range of marine life and habitat classification. Again we use video on the first day and you fill in practice forms both from the video and from the dive itself. The course is assessed and successful participants can become Seasearch Surveyors after completing a further five forms.

All 7 Surveyor courses for 2010 have now run and we are gald that many of our volunteers who qualified as Observers in 2009 have wanted to move on to Surveyor level this year. If you want to attend a course in 2010 please contact your local coordinator or let us know at info@seasearch.org.uk and we will try to arrange courses to meet demand.

 
SURVEYOR COURSES
 
date location contact
2010
   
24-25th April Plymouth  
1st-3rd May Donegal
15-16th May Mathry, Pembrokeshire

 

21st May Menai Bridge , N Wales

 

5th-6th June Dover
5th-6th June

Eyemouth, Borders

14th-15th August Kilrush, Co Clare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specialist Courses

In addition to the Observer or Surveyor Courses we arrange specialist courses including general marine life identification as well as specialist courses in things like fishes, seaweeds, anemones/corals and sea slugs. We can also run survey skills weekends for people who want to join in specialist projects. There are two courses remaining for 2010 is below and there will be a new programme for 2011.

To give you an idea of the level of each course (as they do vary) each course is identified as A (Advanced), or E (Everyone): Advanced courses assume some previous knowledge of the topic and concentrate on expanding that - most suitable for those already recording at Surveyor level. Everyone courses are designed to improve knowledge for those aspiring to become Surveyors or cover techniques and surveys that any competent diver can get involved with. Most of the courses include diving but you can usually take part without diving if you wish.

date topic location tutor contact
2010
       
27th February Fish ID for Divers (E) Bray, Co Wicklow Frances Dipper  
20th March Marine Life ID Refresher (E) Plymouth Sally Sharrock  
17-18th April Marine Life ID (E) Sheringham, Norfolk Frances Dipper  
17-18th April Sponge ID (A) Dover Ulster Museum  
24-25th April Seaweed ID (A) Dorset Lin Baldock  
21st-23rd May* Intermediate Marine Life ID (A)* Menai Bridge, N Wales Rohan Holt

 

19-20th June Nudibranchs (A) Marloes, Pembrokeshire Bernard Picton & Christine Morrow

 

21st August Nudibranchs (E) Donegal Bernard Picton

 

21st August

Seagrass survey techniques (E)

Cornwall

   
4th-5th September Hydroids & Bryozoans (A) Eyemouth, Berwickshire Jo Porter North East England Seasearch - Carrie Pillow
9-10th October Marine Life ID (E) Whitby, Yorks Frances Dipper North East England Seasearch - Carrie Pillow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Costs

The cost of the courses vary depending on venue, costs incurred and if there is any local subsidy or diving involved. As a rough guide one-day courses cost £30-£40 and weekend courses, including diving, £70-£90. Contact the organisers for more details.

 

 

 

 

 

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