In honour of National Marine Week, I am sharing my love of marine creatures and a selection of my favourite underwater adventures. I have been to some of the best SCUBA diving spots in the world, diving off islands in Bali with majestic manta rays and friendly sea turtles, exploring the Red Sea for sharks and dugongs, searching the rocky beds of the Mediterranean for octopuses and lots more.

Shortly after investigating a shipwreck in the tropical waters of the Gili Islands, Indonesia, I spotted a broadclub cuttlefish. These creatures, resembling something between an octopus and a squid, can change from a uniform colouration to a dynamic display of patterning and colour in milliseconds. I watched excitedly as it morphed from textured and dark to pale and smooth, matching the sand below perfectly.

The cephalopod encounters don’t stop there. One of my most memorable moments underwater was when a common octopus off the coast of Spain decided it wanted to reach out and touch (or taste, which they do through their suckers) my hand. I was blown away by the strength of such a small octopus attempting to pull my hand in its den for investigation.

The Red Sea is a marine-life haven, filled with colour, coral, and crystal-clear waters. One morning, I came across a giant green moray eel nestled in the reef. On closer inspection, a tiny, electric blue wrasse darted out of the eel’s mouth. It must have finished its cleaning work for the day! On another dive, we twisted and turned through caves and towering coral reefs. It was here that I saw three juvenile white-tip reef sharks chasing each other around the structures, while streaks of sunlight trickled in from the surface.  

I love to explore the seagrass beds off the coast of Egypt, where vibrant nudibranchs and playful puffer fish can be found. One of my favourite species to find here is the blue-spotted stingray, with iridescent blue spots on its back and a blue tail to match.

Although I have travelled far to spot some of these fascinating marine animals, we have very similar species living right on our doorstep! The common cuttlefish we find in Essex is difficult to distinguish from the broadclub cuttlefish, and we find common octopus in UK waters too. We might not have elaborately coloured eels like those in the Red Sea, but our conger eels can grow to a substantial size – up to 2 metres or more! We also have small shark species and rays living on our coast, including the thornback ray, common stingray and smoothhound sharks. Although I love exploring tropical waters, it is important to appreciate how amazing our local marine life is too!