Imagine taking a slow deep breath, diving beneath the choppy surface of the North Sea, and descending to discover a whole different world under the waves. There’s kelp forests swaying gently around you, sunlight filters through the water. It’s beautiful. Even better, you’re going to catch a lobster for dinner and barbecue it over an open fire on the beach. Sounds good right?
At Fieldtrip we’re always on the lookout for people who are finding adventure in their everyday. We’re also fascinated by ‘Freediving’ - the art of diving underwater by holding your breath rather than using any form of SCUBA gear. I chatted to local freedivers Helen Burt and Pierre Melion, makers of the short film Trigger Fish, about freediving, spear fishing, and the amazing seafood the North Sea has to offer.
Pierre grew up in the South of France where spear fishing is a common pastime, and noticed the potential when he and Helen moved to Northumberland. “We noticed that the coastline here is really good for spear fishing, but no one is really using it for that” he says. The North Sea water is notoriously cold, and historically there isn’t the community or culture built around it.
On a trip to Thailand he convinced Helen to try a freediving course. Being a videographer by trade, Helen’s interest in underwater photography opportunities was piqued by the experience. Despite initially finding some elements challenging, Helen is now hooked (no pun intended). “I find it quite overwhelming in the sea, but I’ve got over it with relaxation techniques.” Helen says relaxing your body is a lot more tricky in the freezing waters of the North Sea, but having the camera helps her focus.
She describes how getting over an equalisation hurdle resulted in one of her best freediving days last year. Equalisation is the process of balancing the pressure in your ears, sinuses, and mask with the surrounding water pressure as you descend. “I managed to dive to 7/8 meters, and then I just kept diving. I did several dives that day and it was just so satisfying, being amongst all the sea kelp and down to the sea floor. A lot of the footage in our short film is from that day.”
Pierre - left, Helen - right.
Pierre’s most unusual encounter was a bloom of Lion’s Mane jellyfish around Dunstanburgh Castle. One of the world’s largest species of jellyfish, they can reach over 2m wide. If you’ve ever spotted one of these beauties washed up on the beach, you’ll know they can be huge, like a dustbin lid, and Pierre says they are spectacular to swim amongst. He has also spotted a Lumpsucker, a fish that looks like a rock and holds on to rocks with its sucker-shaped pelvic fins.
Last year they discovered a WhatsApp group of people in the North East who also like to spear fish. It’s a small but dedicated community, they often meet at Seaton Sluice or go up to Scotland for the day. The visibility is just starting to improve now that spring is here. One of Pierre’s favourite local freediving destinations is St. Abbs, on the Scottish Borders. It is rich in marine life, you can dive deep not too far from the shore, and hear the gulls and guillemots while you’re underwater. “Last time I was there I had a seal following me, it would pop it’s head up, then when I went nearer it would swim away. They’re a bit shy but they want to know about you, they follow you, then when you turn around they stop and look away”. Another of their best freediving days was when they joined a boat trip with some SCUBA divers off the Farne Islands and ended up surrounded by curious seals.
Lobster is Pierre’s favourite seafood to catch. It’s plentiful, delicious and you don’t even need the spear gun to catch it. “We’ve been able to try different ways of cooking it over an open fire, split open or steamed, and in pasta. It’s such a rich flavour and taste. This coastline has way more lobster than the south coast.” The cold waters of the North Sea make the right conditions for really delicious shellfish. “When you go to a supermarket in France they’ll market the seafood as being from the UK, because people know it’s a cold water place and it tastes better” he says.
Helen and Pierre are passionate about encouraging people to get curious about where their food comes from. They have started the ‘Tide to Table’ initiative, aiming to cultivate awareness and introduce people to the food in its natural landscape. Helen’s grandmother was a herring girl in Suffolk. “Our grandparents generation were much more connected to their food, a lot of us now have lost that connection.” She would love for the film and the website to share some of that knowledge and celebrate the delicious seafood the UK seaside has to offer.
Whereas most of us won’t be ready to invest in a spear gun just yet, we can explore new tastes and textures at a local fishmonger. The array can feel overwhelming, but Pierre suggests that mussels are a great and sustainable place to start. “They’re quite hard to cook wrong, they’re usually inexpensive, and although they are farmed it’s one of the farming practices that isn’t so bad for the environment.” Farmed mussels grow naturally on a rope and just get their food from the water, as opposed to being fed other wild fish like farmed salmon. I’m already planning moules-frîtes for supper this weekend.
Helen and Pierre’s short film, Trigger Fish, is showing this month at Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, and is available to watch online here. They are also working on a book, ‘Fish, Forage, Feast’. If you fancy giving freediving a try, check with your local dive school to see if they offer a PADI Basic Freediver course. This is pool-based, and a great introduction to breathing techniques. Always dive or snorkel with a buddy and check conditions before you go out.
