By Kate Lock,
Marine Conservation Officer
Skomer Marine Nature Reserve,
located around Skomer Island
and the Marloes Peninsula, is
Wales' only statutory Marine
Nature Reserve and one of
only three in the UK.
It has long been considered
special by divers and marine
biologists for its underwater scenery
and the amazing range of marine
life.
But you don't need to be a diver
to enjoy the beauty of the reserve's
marine wildlife. If you take a trip to
the Marine Nature Reserve display
centre at Martins Haven you will be
treated to display panels showing off
colourful and beautiful creatures. A
large interactive touch screen allows
you to choose video clips of reserve
wildlife and scenery; view a
computer-generated virtual tour of
the seabed or watch slideshows. You
can find out what lurks in the shade
of the kelp forest, what crawls on
top of the rocky reef and what
glides across the muddy sea floor.
Martins Haven shore is also a
great place to explore: seaweed-
covered boulders are fantastic places
for many marine creatures to hide. A
search will reveal large strawberry
anemones, blennies, butterfish,
crabs galore and the unusual
clingfish that stick itself to the
bottom of rocks with a huge sucker!
Take care to put the creatures and
any boulders back where you found
them so no harm comes to them.
You could also try snorkelling at
Martins Haven to see the colourful
fish, enormous spider crabs and sea
urchins lurking in the kelp forest of
its shallow waters.
45
Garland Stone
Bull Hole
The Table
Pigstone Bay
Saunders Fist
Skomer Head
The Basin
The Wick
Mew Stone
Black Stones
Robert's Wick
South Pond
North Pond
SouthHaven
NorthHaven
Rye Rocks
LittleSound
Midland
Isle
Tusker Rock
Deer
Park
Coast Path
Ruined Farm Buildings
Wardens House
JACKSOUND
The
Neck
Skomer Island
Martins Haven
to Marloes
Martins Haven
Exploring the underwater
world at Skomer Marine
Nature Reserve

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