Get your dose of Vitamin Sea this National Marine Week
Thursday 20th July 2017
Get your dose of Vitamin Sea this National Marine Week
Dip into a shoal of events around Northern Ireland’s coast from 29 July – 13 August.
If you’re in need of some Vitamin Sea, National Marine Week from 29 July to 13 August offers endless opportunities to smell the seaweed, savour the sound of lapping waves, whilst searching for wild treasures around our shores.
Up and down the coast, Ulster Wildlife is hosting a shoal of fantastic marine events for day-trippers and holiday-makers to celebrate Northern Ireland’s amazing marine life.
Why not spend a sunny afternoon with the kids exploring rockpools, be dazzled on a snorkel safari by a chance encounter with a ballan wrasse, delight in our shore’s delicious wild food, or simply be amazed by the sight of a harbour porpoise or bottlenose dolphin from a headland.
From Cranfield to the Causeway Coast, staff and volunteers will be sharing their knowledge, showcasing our marine environment and enthusing about the awe-inspiring variety of species, from molluscs to minke whales, which call our waters home.
Dave Wall, Living Seas Officer with Ulster Wildlife said, “Summer is not complete without a visit to the coast. The waters around Northern Ireland are teeming with life as extraordinary as any found in tropical seas, yet for many this hidden treasure trove of discovery and adventure is often overlooked.
“National Marine Week offers everyone the opportunity to discover more to enjoy, more to learn and more to value in the magnificent marine life around our shores. Once they know what’s out there, we have no doubt that many more people will want to help look after and protect this precious resource for future generations.”
During National Marine Week, people across the UK are being asked to consider their relationship with the sea. The Wildlife Trusts’ The Sea and Me challenge asks everyone to make a pledge for the sea, for example, to say no to single use plastics like cups, bags and straws which can end up in the oceans.
National Marine Week events are spread across two weeks in order to take advantage of low tides, and include:
• 29 July, 11:30 am – 1pm: Marine mammal watch at Magilligan
• 29 July, 2.30pm – 3.30pm: Strandline walk at Magilligan
• 29 July, 12pm to 8pm: Living Seas Exploration Stand at Red Sails Festival, Portstewart
• 01 August, 1pm to 3.30pm: Snorkel safari at Cranfield Beach
• 03 August, 1pm to 4pm: Coastal foraging at Groomsport
• 04 August, 1.30pm to 3.30pm: Cave and rockpool exploring at Cushendun Caves
• 05 August, 10am to 4pm: Living Seas Exploration Stand at Donaghadee Festival RNLI Day
• 10 August, 9.30am to 4.30pm: Marine mammal survey training course at CEDAR, Cultra
• 13 August , 10am to 1pm: Coastal foraging at Cushendall
To join in, visit www.ulsterwildlife.org/whats-on
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