Eric's Story
"The sea has been my sanctuary since I was a kid"
I'm 76 years old and I've been diving in Sussex waters since I was 11. Back then it was a magical garden of Eden — healthy kelp, clear waters, the best diving of my life.
But as the years passed, I watched my beloved sea suffer. Pair trawlers — a form of bottom-towed fishing that scrapes the seafloor — arrived in the 1980s, decimating our marine life. Our ecosystem fell to just 3% of what it was when I was a lad.
I started writing letters. For years they were ignored, until Sean Ashworth at the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority read one. IFCA had seen fish stocks decline at the same rate as the ecosystem, and set about banning trawling in Sussex to protect our inshore waters.
Filmmaker Sarah Cunliffe made Help Our Kelp, narrated by David Attenborough, backed by Sussex Wildlife Trust and the Blue Marine Foundation. When the IFCA consultation opened, instead of the usual handful of responses, 2,500 people wrote in support of the ban.
We now have 300km² of protected seabed — the largest marine rewilding project in the UK. Us local divers decided the sea would never be out of sight and out of mind again. Armed with cameras and determination, we formed Sussex Underwater.
— Eric
Our Philosophy
The Natural Way
Along with the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project, we believe nature-based recovery is the best path forward. Our mission is to document the seabed's recovery since the trawler ban, in the hope this success story leads to trawler bans across marine protected areas around the UK.
“Give nature a chance and she will return.”— Jane Goodall
As Seen On
In the Press
BBC iPlayer
"Our Lives: Our Sea Forest" — the full documentary telling Eric's story, narrated by Chris Packham.
Watch now →Sussex Wildlife Trust
"Beacon of Hope" — an update from Eric Smith of Sussex Underwater.
Read more →University of Sussex
Eric was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science for his conservation work.
Read more →BBC News
Coverage of Eric's campaign and Sussex Underwater's work.
Read more →In Print
The Books
Two of Eric's proudest moments — both books built on the story of Sussex Underwater.
Ocean
A chapter dedicated to Sussex Kelp features in Sir David Attenborough's book — one of the proudest moments of Eric's life, tying together decades of campaigning with recognition from the naturalist whose narration first helped bring the trawler ban to public attention.
For Eric, it closed a full circle: the same voice that narrated Help Our Kelp in 2020 was now telling Sussex's story to readers around the world, cementing this small stretch of coastline as part of a much bigger global conversation about ocean recovery.
Rewilding the Sea
Charles Clover, co-founder of the Blue Marine Foundation, personally invited Eric to be part of his book after hearing his story. Sussex Underwater features in Chapter 9, "Saving the Forests of the Sea" — an inspiring account of marine recovery projects from around the world.
Being handpicked by an author and campaigner of Clover's standing meant a great deal to Eric — proof that a local diver's letters could grow into a story worth telling alongside the biggest marine rewilding successes on the planet.