W
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INTO THE DEEP!
WIRRAL LIFE TALK TO BBC'S BLUE PLANET
DR JON COPLEY AHEAD OF HIS VISIT TO WIRRAL
BBC’s Blue Planet scientific adviser and renowned ocean explorer Dr
Jon Copley is visiting our little peninsular next month as part of the
West Kirby Literature Festival. We caught up with him to talk about
his new book and why the future of our oceans is in our hands… The fact that this footage and its clear message acted as a catalyst for
a much-needed change in attitudes, both at a political and social level,
towards our relationship with plastic in particular, has to be my greatest
achievement to date."
Jon Copley is not your average oceanographer. He has travelled to some
of the greatest depths ever known and unearthed the secrets of the deep
along the way. That’s not bad for a child who only learned to swim at the
age of seven and was afraid of water! "I do think it’s important to stress that looking after our planet is not just
a political issue – it's everyone's problem and even minor changes in the
way we live our lives can have a positive impact."
So Jon, did you always want to be an ocean explorer?
"No absolutely not. I was terrified of water and actually only learnt to
swim quite late in my childhood. It was only when I was first introduced
to a snorkelling mask that I realised I was much happier under the water
and I’ve never really wanted to be anywhere else since!"
"I actually wanted to be a vet for much of my childhood; but as soon
as I discovered what was going on below the waterline I was hooked. I
studied Zoology at Sheffield but again it was the ocean based creatures
that really fascinated me so I eventually did a Masters in Oceanography
and that was it.’
"My mission now is to continue to show the world the huge benefits
of exploring our oceans and why communicating our findings matters
more and more."
The UK public first met Dr Copley in Blue Planet 2, ‘The Deep’, when his
spellbinding footage of marine life struggling to cope with the impact
of plastic litter in our oceans sparked a national conversation about the
state of our seas.
Tell us about your time working on Blue Planet 2. Were you surprised
by the national outcry it caused?
"I think the impact of Blue Planet II surprised us all. It was more than
we could have ever imagined or hoped for. Viewers were taken on a
fascinating journey through the oceans and exposed to the hidden
world of the deep; from the darkest depths to coral reefs and coasts.
16 wirrallife.com
Tell us a bit about your book ‘Ask An Ocean Explorer’. What made you
want to write about your experiences?
"I do a lot of talks to a wide variety of groups and I guess part of the
reason for writing the book was to answer some of the questions I
always get asked but I also wanted to give readers a glimpse of some of
the weird and wonderful deep-sea creatures we find down there. Being
a ‘bathynaut’ and driving a mini-submarine gives me unique access
to some of the secrets of the deep and I wanted to share some of my
knowledge and experiences with a wider audience. The oceans on their
health are connected to our everyday lives and hopefully the book will
help bring this to life."
Are you looking forward to visiting Wirral next month?
"I actually can’t wait to come to West Kirby. Unbelievably the event will be
the closest to the coast I’ve ever been involved with! I’ve been told some
interesting facts about your coastline and I’m really looking forward
to checking it out for myself. I believe some the guys from the ‘High
Tidiers’, a very active beach cleaning group, will be attending my talk,
so it will be interesting to find out a bit more about their work and the
kind of things they are encountering in and around the Wirral coastline."
Dr Jon Copley will be talking about his new book ‘Ask An Ocean
Explorer’ as part of West Kirby Literary Festival on Saturday 8th
June. Limited tickets are still available to buy direct from Linghams
Booksellers in Heswall and The Wro in West Kirby or you can buy
online by visiting www.westkirbylitfestival.co.uk