Go Diving show returns
Seagrass renewal group claims success
SCOTLAND’ S FIRST COMMUNITY-BASED marine habitat restoration charity, Seawilding, has achieved a major breakthrough in seagrass restoration.
Working in Loch Craignish, Argyll, the charity has been using an innovative technique that translocates seagrass shoots instead of planting seeds. And, in just 15 months, the project has achieved a remarkable increase in seabed coverage.
The ocean’ s only flowering plant, seagrass provides a vital habitat for marine biodiversity as well as being an important carbon sink, yet it has been disappearing at an alarming rate since the 1900s.
For the last 10 years, efforts around the UK have focused on restoring seagrass habitat mainly by sowing seagrass seed, with limited success. Since July 2024, Seawilding has been trialling its new approach, which involves transplanting tens of thousands of adult shoots from existing seagrass‘ donor’ meadows.
In just 15 months, a newly planted area saw an increase in seabed coverage from 10 % to more than 70 % in just 15 months. Meanwhile, in 2025 a new trial achieved 97 % survival of transplanted seagrass shoots and an average four-fold increase in seabed coverage in just six months.
Altogether this has resulted in an area of 0.3 hectares of newly created seagrass habitat. Seawilding is now planning on trialling its translocation method in new locations.
“ It’ s an exciting break-through” says Will Goudy, Seawilding’ s Seagrass Lead.“ We’ ve trialled multiple methods over the last five years, and had our fair share of failure, but with this methodology we’ re proving it’ s possible to restore seagrass at scale.”
Full details of the results will be shared in Seawilding’ s annual report later this year. For more information on the project, go to www. seawilding. org
THE GO DIVING SHOW WILL RETURN to the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre( NAEC) this Spring, and BSAC will be there.
To be held on Saturday, 28 February and Sunday, 1 March at the NAEC in Kenilworth’ s Stoneleigh Park, Go Diving is the UK’ s only consumer diving show to be staged this year. And the weekend promises to be an interactive event for the whole family, showcasing the best of scuba diving and dive travel. All over 10,000 qm2 of exhibition hall space.
With the final details still to be announced, the 2026 Go Diving Show promises an impressive speaker lineup, across four dedicated speaker stages, including UK diving, technical diving and underwater photography.
As well as the speaker stages, there’ s plenty to keep all divers occupied including trade and dive travel stands as well as a try dive pool and virtual diving for those who have never tried scuba before.
BSAC will also be exhibiting at the Go Diving Show 2026, so make sure you stop by to meet the team on the stand. Following the success at last year’ s show, the BSAC team will also be running a series of workshops for members – more details to be released shortly.
With full price day tickets £ 19.60, current deals include a 2-4-1 early-bird offer of £ 17.50, with your buddy, your spouse or your best friend getting a ticket absolutely free!( if purchased before 31 January). Under 16s also get in for free.
For more information and to buy a ticket, go to godivingshow. com
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