Underwater camera reveals seabed at Weymouth

People in Dorset have this week been given a unique window on the underwater world which sits just off our coastline. Thanks to an underwater camera they've been able to watch streamed pictures of the seabed at Weymouth

It is less a lawn more a forest of grass. Blades washed in gentle currents, fish darting through the leaves. There is plenty of seagrass, which is actually not a grass or a seaweed, but one of the few flowering plants that lives in the sea.

"It's not really much to look at out of the water, but seagrass is a really important home for many different species. And notably here in Weymouth, sea horses are known to live amongst it."

Conservationists are using a robotic underwater camera to share a unique view of the seabed just of the pier in Weymouth with the public.

On the surface, the team is showing live pictures from the camera. It's a revelation to those passing by who didn't realise it was so close to shore.

"Seagrass, I've never seen in this density before and to see the ROV working it is brilliant, it is really good."

This work is part of a project raising awareness of threats to seagrass beds around our coast. Over the next three years, conservationists are calling on the public to help map and document seagrass beds from Cornwall to Dorset. They say pollution, dredging, some fishing practices and an increase in sediment all threaten the beds. They warn they're getting smaller each year.

Mark Parry from the Community Seagrass Initiative says: "It's found in sheltered bays, in shallow waters. It's a plant so it needs to, it needs light to grow."

"Worldwide, seagrass ranks as the third most popular habitat. You have coral reefs, mangroves and then seagrss. The UK doesn't have mangroves or coral reefs but we do have this incredibly important habitat, seagrass."

There are more chances around the region through the summer to join these quayside sessions. If ever you;ve wondered 'what's down there?', now is your chance to find out.