The Minter Hotel

Written by Eric Smith, Sussex Underwater co-founder

The day arrived on 22nd May 2025 after many days of hectic arrangements, putting all the pieces in place like a giant game of chess. James Johnston – director of Story Book Films and a good friend of our Sussex Underwater team arrived at the quay to board Alan’s Minter’s 35-ton boat and film the 3.5-ton habitat in all its finery being loaded on to the boat. We met them at the designated spot in our ridged inflatable loaded with three team members and a qualified aqualung diver. We could not have ordered better weather with flat calm seas and underwater visibility over 10 meters – very rare in the English Channel. It was also Alan’s 67th Birthday.

The professional crew lowered the structure into position without a hitch and all of us had a lump in our throats as Alan announced in his booming voice – “The Minter Hotel Has Landed”, dedicating it to his late grandad who used to keep his boat on the nearby beach. We all shook hands and sighed with relief after a three-year struggle to have at last put something back to enhance the marine life in our bay.

On 2nd June, 11 days after its placement we took our first dive on the Minter Hotel. Surely nature could not have worked her magic already! Laying on the surface I had to calm down because of my excitement at taking our first look at the habitat. On my first descent, a spider crab sat next to a clump of mussels which team member Dave Phillips was inspecting closely. We found three batches of mussels obviously swept in by the rough weather, but they had all bonded to the structure with fine white filaments.

Dropping down the side I was amazed to see a shoal of pouting living happily in the lee of the habitat with small wrasse swimming in and out having made it their new home. As I placed a fixed camera on the seabed to record the scene I felt a tap on the shoulder, Grant Pullen another of our team who had been checking the perimeter pointed to a large lobster walking towards the structure. She was a pregnant female (berried) carrying thousands of eggs tucked in underneath her looking for a home to raise her brood. I must have made a movement as I turned the camera on, she shot into one of the holes that had been meticulously designed for her.

Giving her a few minutes I moved the camera to record her settling in and moving things around in her new home. A blenny who had made its home under the structure came out to watch his new neighbour. We left the lobster looking quite comfortable with her big claws blocking the entrance protecting her babies from danger, let’s hope she stays. It was more than we had hoped for, if nature could do that in 11 days, what can we expect in a year!