Following on from the Nudibranch Course (see entry below), there have been two exciting sightings of nudibranchs new to the MPA. The first was seen by Joel Edwards, a member of the local Ilfracombe & North Devon BSAC diving club, during a club dive in the Rattles off the south coast of Lundy in July . His find, the rainbow sea slug Babakina anadoni, was first recorded in Britain from the Isles of Scilly in 2022 and a little later on the shore in Cornwall and at Wembury in South Devon, so we were hoping it wouldn’t be too long before it was found at Lundy. It’s a warm-water species typically found from Gibraltar to NW France, with its range now seeming to be extending northwards.

 

 

In early June a nudibranch course was run on the island, the first marine species identification course for over 40 years! Organised by Robert Irving and led by NE Atlantic nudibranch expert Bernard Picton, ten participants signed up for the course, six of whom were divers.

Sadly, the four days chosen to run the course coincided with a period of unseasonally strong westerly winds which meant that boat diving was restricted to just two sites on one day. Even so, coupled with another few dives under the jetty and some rummaging around the low water mark of the Devil’s Kitchen, the group encountered 27 species of opisthobranchs (the ‘parent’ grouping to which nudibranchs belong). Some of the more flambuoyant are illustrated here.

The last time nudibranchs were studied in such detail was in 1975 during the process of acquiring an inventory of all species around the island, in the days of the voluntary marine nature reserve. At that time, a total of 47 opisthobranchs were found. Interestingly, several of the species encountered in 2026 had not been recorded around the island before and are known to be ‘southern species’ with their distributions now beginning to extend further northwards around the British Isles.

A full report on the outcomes of the Lundy Nudibranch Course 2026 will be published in the Journal of the Lundy Field Society in 2027.

A four day residential course in the biology, identification, photographing and DNA of these intriguing creatures is to be held on Lundy  from Tues. 9th to Sat. 13th June 2026 (note these are new dates). The course is being organised by Robert Irving with Bernard Picton as the lead tutor. It is designed for experienced divers although there will also be two places for non-divers. We shall be hoping to add to the list of 50 or so nudibranchs recorded from Lundy so far. Click here for further details.

 

Lundy’s seals have started pupping! Assistant Warden Tara McEvoy-Wilding reports that a handful have been observed in some of the sheltered inlets and beaches around the island. She’s being assisted this autumn by volunteer seal recorder Mya Tibbs, who’s noting down where pups are being seen. Visitors who may catch sight of one are asked to notify Mya of their sighting. More news on this once the pupping season is completed (probably towards the end of November). Remember to keep well away from the pups and their lactating mums – take your photos from a distance.

This website was launched on 1^st August 2025. An auspicious day as it also happened to be Marine Protected Areas Day, celebrated by MPAs around the world. A press release was sent out to various agencies, local newspapers and to all those already involved with the MPA.

Thank you for visiting the site!