More marine life

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On practically every dive with us, you will see sponges. The most eye-catching and common sponge is the "Boring sponge" - so called because in its early stages it bores into the rocks. It is bright yellow, and can grow to amazing shapes and sizes. There are lots of other species of sponges to be found, some are finger-like growths, and some are bright red or orange thin encrusting sheets on rocks and boulders.

As well as the common starfish, our waters are home to their more eyecatching relatives, such as Sunstars, Feather stars and Urchins, and off one of our headlands at Abercastle, you can find yourself swimming over massive carpets of Brittle stars, all piled one on top of the other, waving their arms slowly to catch minute particles of food floating by.

Some of the most colourful animals you will see on dives here are Nudibranchs (sea slugs). They can also be very small, which makes them difficult to spot until you know what you are looking for. Their colours can be incredibly vivid and beautiful, and some rare and uncommon types are to be found in Pembrokeshire.

Sea squirts are another thing that you will find attached to rocks and seaweed during your dive. They do as the name implies - take in water rich in food and nutrients, digest what they need, and squirt what they don't want out again! They have 2 siphons which enable them to do this. Some grow as large, solitary forms, while others prefer to have company, and live in a colony. The most easily recognisable sort are the Lightbulb sea squirts, clear white, with yellow 'filaments' showing through.

At West Wales Diving School, we run PADI Underwater Naturalist courses, during which we tell you a little bit about the different marine life you will see on your dives in Pembrokeshire, and then take you for dives to show it to you. Call us for more details.

All the above mentioned species are animals. However, there is also a wide variety of plant life in our waters. Visit www.weedseen.co.uk for pictures and information on different species.

Images Copyright & supplied by Francis & Anne Bunker@www.marineseen.com