An Evening with Sussex Underwater

Friends of the South Downs are excited to announce an upcoming event with Sussex Underwater, the inspiring team working to help everyone fall in love with the local seas around Sussex.

Eric and Catrine, are a Father and daughter who founded the charity Sussex Underwater. They featured in the BBC documentary “Our Lives; Our Sea Forest”, which showcased the recovery starting to happen in Sussex bay since a ban on bottom trawling came into place in 2021. Eric is now 76 years old and started diving in the bay when he was 11. He was instrumental in highlighting the damage bottom towed fishing gear was having on this precious ecosystem. He co-founded Sussex Underwater so that the sea was never out of sight and out of mind again. Sussex Underwater now share incredible films of the recovery they are starting to see in Sussex bay with over 20 thousand followers on social media, give local talks and work closely with other marine conservation organisations. Their aim is to make everyone fall in love with the local marine ecosystem and push for trawler bans like this all over the UK.

Join us for an evening at Heene Community Centre to go below the waves of the seas that surround the South Downs and hear of the pioneering work Sussex Underwater are championing to restore the seas of Sussex.