news
Holiday Hi-jinks
Nov 3rd
This October half-term holiday the Explore the Seafloor team was out and about. 
The last 2010 roadshow ran at the National SEA LIFE centre in Birmingham, and it was one of our busiest. We had lots of fun and were particularly impressed with the Halloween costumes that some of our younger visitors wore. Katie and Sarah, Explore the Seafloor team members, also got very excited about seeing the cast of the BBC TV show “Hustle” filming at the end of their street, as well as a Jet Ski chase for a Bollywood movie along the Birmingham canals.
On the South coast ETS team member Rhonda put on a one day special event at the New Forest Centre, working alongside outreach officers from the New Forest National Park Authority. On a miserable autumn day it was a fun way to escape the weather although people still got a bit wet at our archaeology handling table!!
Half-Term Havoc at Birmingham Sea Life Centre
Oct 21st
The Explore the Seafloor team are off to the National SEA LIFE centre at Birmingham for the half-term holidays. The roadshow starts on Saturday the 23rd of 
October and runs through to Halloween.
Come down and handle real archaeological artefacts dredged from the depths of the sea, examine sea creatures under a magnifying glass and, if you’re brave, have a feel and guess what’s in our mystery boxes.
The Sea LIfe centre will have lots more activities to fill in those rainy, half term days so if you are looking for something to do, come down and join us.
New event announced for half term
Oct 19th
Explore the Seafloor is pleased to announce a new special event to keep the family occupied during the October half term school holidays. Join us at New Forest 
Centre on Wednesday the 27th of October for a day of fun and exploration. The centre is open from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free for under 16s and £3 for adults.
The New Forest National Park Authority will also be coming along to tell visitors about the exciting maritime archaeology project they are undertaking along the park’s coastline.
So come along and join us.
Go to our Events page for information
Sunshine in Hunstanton
Sep 8th
It’s the end of the summer and the end of our roadshows for the moment, as we return from the sunshine and sea air of Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary.
The Explore the Seafloor team were glad that the high winds and torrential rain that greeted them on arrival were quickly replaced by blue skies and warm sunshine.
It was busy over the August Bank Holiday weekend with huge numbers of people guessing artefacts in the water-table, enthusiastically sieving the geology samples and digging for facts in the sandpit.
We had lots of visitors enjoying the activities and many children spending their last week of school holiday freedom learning about the seafloor off the East Coast. Many people enjoyed dressing up as a scientist or dredging industry staff and the waders proving particularly popular. We also chatted to several people about sea level changes off the Norfolk coast following a particularly well-timed episode of BBC’s Coast about submerged forests in the region.
Check out our photos on Facebook
We’re taking a short break from roadshows while we prepare some online resources about the project. Our next and final roadshow will be at Birmingham Sea Life Centre during October half-term.
Lightning at Lowestoft
Sep 1st
The Explore the Seafloor team continues to be busy over this summer period. We spent the last two weeks interacting with all the friendly people in the Norfolk area. We took our display to the Lowestoft airshow and provided shelter and entertainment to some rain soaked visitors. Despite thunder and lightning the mood at the show was enthusiastic and the rain didn’t stop people from enjoying our seafloor display and the amazing aircraft acrobatics.
Following a quick pack up the roadshow moved to the lovely environs of the Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre education room. We felt very at home surround by the colourful fish and murals. Visitors displayed an interest in the archaeological finds and were excited that many artefacts were originally found near Great Yarmouth. Our weaver fish however, stole the show bringing back people’s memories of how it feels to get up close and personal with a live one – ouch!
Weaver fish investigation.
Visit our facebook page to view the latest pictures.
Join us at Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary
Aug 24th
Join us to get your hands wet and Explore the Seafloor at Hunstanton SEA LIFE Sanctuary from the 28th of August until the 5th of September. Wessex Archaeology is bringing the roadshow back to Norfolk.
We have lots of exciting activities for visitors to Explore the Seafloor of Britain’s coastal waters. Bring your family, or embrace your inner child, and dress up as a maritime archaeologist, scientist or marine dredger! We have real archaeological artefacts to hold including part of a World War 2 machine gun, a 10,000 year old mammoth tusk and part of a 1950s airplane. Younger children can dig for finds in the sand pit and touch artefacts in the water table.
Take a break from the beautiful beaches of Hunstanton and pop into the Sea Life Sanctuary to visit us.
Scientists have spent the past 2 years investigating the exciting world beneath the sea and now it’s your turn!
Katie explains one of our archaeological finds to visitors
Celebrating the Sea
Aug 22nd
August kicked off with Marine Week and Explore the Seafloor ran two special events at coastal Wildlife Trust centres to mark this annual celebration of the sea.
On Saturday the 7th of August Explore the Seafloor ran a hands-on workshop at the Kent Wildife Trust’s Reculver Nature Park, near Herne Bay. The centre is an excellent venue for us as it already has great information about the archaeology and history of its surrounding area, from the Ice Age to World War II. Visitors enjoyed handling some artefacts that date to the information at the centre, including a mammoth’s tooth and the remains of a World War II machine gun.
On Sunday the 8th of August we journeyed on to Colchester and Essex Wildilfe Trust’s Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve. It was a beautiful sunny day and so we set up outside and had lots of families stopping off to play before they took a walk around the beautiful nature reserve. Visitor’s particularly enjoyed the dressing up and we have some great photographs of the day – check out our photograph albums on our Facebook pages.
Overall the weekend was a great success and Explore the Seafloor would like to thank both centres for being so enthusiastic and welcoming.
At the Seaside at Great Yarmouth
Aug 18th
Explore the Seafloor is now at the Great Yarmouth Sea Life centre located on the main sea front. We are having a great time and glad to see the sun finally shining. 
Come on down and join us for lots of fun hands- on activities and discover what you can find on the seafloor.
National Marine Week events this weekend
Aug 6th
The Explore the Seafloor team will be running two events with the Wildlife Trust as part of National Marine Week, which runs from the 31st of July to the 15th of August.
National Marine Week (or fortnight in this case) celebrates all that is great about the sea. Explore the Seafloor have partnered up with Wildlife Trust Visitors centres to run two events over this week. Visit our events and learn more about the fantastic marine life and archaeology that can be found on the seafloor.
Events
Saturday 8th of August: Reculver Visitor Centre and Country Park, Kent Wildlife Trust.
Sunday 9th August: Fingringhoe Wick Visitor Centre and Nature Reserve, Essex Wildlife Trust. or click here for their Facebook page.
Click here to find out more about National Marine Week at the Wildlife Trust website
Roadshow Photographs and Postcards!
Aug 4th
Visit our facebook page to view the latest photos from our roadshows and events at:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/exploretheseafloor
Or view our feedback section to see some of the magnificent artwork from Weymouth.
Millie
