Following November's successful monthly meeting held on Zoom, Dawlish & District U3A members met again on Zoom to listen to a fascinating talk by one of their own members.

Toby Sherwin modestly describes himself as a marine physicist with an amateur interest in rocky shores. However, his presentation about 'Life Between the Tides at Dawlish' showed that he is clearly a considerable expert on all that is happening in front of us as we walk along the sea wall at Dawlish but of which most of us are completely oblivious.

Toby revealed the rich, diverse and extremely competitive environment of the sea wall. His opening photograph showed a patch of the wall which was very small, yet was home to 13 species of marine creatures including dog whelks, beadlet anemones, Pacific oysters and limpets.

He enthused about the humble barnacle, a creature with extraordinary features including the fact that it feeds with its feet and has a penis eight times the length of its body.

On the rocks he showed remarkable images, often very beautiful, of a honeycomb worm colony, sand mason worms and red sand binder weed. He urged people to be patient as they look into rock pools, so they can see how much life there is when at first glance there appears to be little to observe. We could see anemones, hermit crabs and coral weed, as well as various seaweeds most of which are edible. Irish moss, for example, is a commercially valuable plant being used in the manufacture of ice cream, toothpaste and beer. For those who enjoy pressing plants, these seaweeds can be 'pressed' very successfully and attractively.

The cool damp habitats offered by rock overhangs make ideal environments for many creatures including the strawberry anemone, breadcrumb sponge, red sponge and the delightfully named goosebump sponge. There are also the edible crabs we find on local fish counters. But beware of the velvet swimming crab which is highly aggressive!

For the more adventurous, a visit at night to the rocks on the sea front is rewarding. Many sea creatures are sensitive to light, not least because they are visible to birds. However, using ultraviolet light will reveal hundreds of creatures who keep a low profile during daylight hours.

There is clearly an enormous amount to learn about what is just in front of us as we enjoy walking by the sea.Toby has produced a poster which is displayed at Boat Cove, and he and his colleagues on the 'Shores of South Devon (marine life interest group) have a page on Facebook and their own website. Learning more from these sites will make walking by the sea an even more rewarding experience.

Dawlish & District U3A has over 100 members who meet monthly to listen to speakers on a diverse range of subjects, and to enjoy each other's company. In addition, about 20 interest groups meet throughout the month to pursue subjects as varied as Great Lives, History, French Conversation, Wine Appreciation, Scrabble, Rumikub, and Gardens & Gateaux.

To find out more, visit www.u3a.dawlish.info.